Lily the Little Mermaid
by rugbyrose
Summary: Set in modern-day Australia, Lily, a young mermaid princess, is dissatisfied with her life under the sea and longs to be part of the human world, especially when she rescues a young man from drowning. When she does get the chance, it costs her her voice and she must learn to live like a human and kiss the boy in four days. But will an evil sea witch get in the way of her dreams?
1. Mermaid Beach and Concert Catastrophe

_Hey there!_

 _Following the huge success of my first fanfic, 'A Beastly Rose,' here's a modern retelling of The Little Mermaid, set in the Gold Coast, Australia, with different characters, so it's not Ariel and the others in a modern day setting. This will be rated a slight T to be on the safe side due to the mild use of alcohol by some of the characters._

 _There will be some of the songs from the original movie, but with some of the words changed to fit the story._

 _Hope you like it!_

 _I don't own the Little Mermaid, just my characters._

* * *

 _'_ _I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue and it's hey to the starboard heave ho. Look out lad, a mermaid be waiting for you in mysterious fathoms below.'_

The sun was shining brilliantly as another day was beginning in the curiously-named suburb of Mermaid Beach in the coastal city of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.

Seagulls swooped in the sky and towards the beach, hoping to get a few scraps of food and fish jumped out of the water, greeting the day and then jumping back in to avoid being someone's dinner that night.

Any tourist or newcomer to this laid-back town would be forgiven for thinking that they might see a mermaid or two but they never did, in spite of their best efforts and in their disappointment had to accept to the fact that merpeople simply didn't exist in this modern age, but that didn't stop them from enjoying all the sights and attractions that made the Gold Coast so popular.

However, a few residents had claimed to have seen a group of merfolk up on the surface years ago before modern-day pirates appeared and threatened them back into the ocean never to surface or be seen by humans again, but without proof, it was dismissed as another tall tale and Mermaid Beach would never live up to its name.

But deep down in the ocean, in mysterious fathoms below, a secret underwater kingdom of merpeople has existed for centuries, whose citizens had once gone up to the surface when humans hadn't been around until a terrible tragedy that made them retreat back to the deep depths of the ocean and forbidden to see the surface and make contact with humans.

This was unbeknownst to the residents of Mermaid Beach except for the few who believed in their existence and they certainly didn't know that one day, a little mermaid, who had been willing to give up her life under the sea, would change everything to be part of their world and for the love of one of its most famous residents.

* * *

The mid afternoon sun bit a young man's cheeks, as he lay on a deck chair on board the luxury yacht that was cruising lazily across the ocean, far away from the buzzing activity of the beach, smiling in content as he listened to music on his iPhone and sipped a Coke with his dog lying beside him, lost in his own thoughts as the conversations and laughter of his father and his friend buzzed around him.

He was Benjamin Steele, known as Ben to many who knew him, a handsome boy with tanned skin, dark blonde hair, blue eyes and a well-built figure, which was underneath a blue singlet with fading white text on it and Brisbane Broncos shorts.

A black thong slipped off his foot, as he lifted his long legs up in the air to stretch them and the other one followed suit, just as his dog Ruby, a Blenheim-coloured Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, eyed them just as Ben grabbed her collar.

'No, Ruby, my thongs are not chew toys!' he said, throwing a tennis ball to Ruby, who barked happily as she chased it, bumping into Ben's father, while he was talking to his friend, Des Haynes, who chuckled at the silly, lovable dog.

Ben was a laid-back, easy going, friendly and athletic boy and even though he had a good group of friends, he sometimes preferred to be alone on the beach and sea, but he was generally very social and he also had a very good reason for wanting time to himself, away from the prying eyes of the public, for he was very well-known around Mermaid Beach, if not all of Queensland and Australia.

He was the son of the legendary and well-loved former rugby league player, Phil 'Steely' Steele (nicknamed for always having nerves of steel on the field) who played for the Brisbane Broncos, Queensland Maroons and the Kangaroos, winning countless premiership titles, State of Origins, World Cups and Dally M Medals.

He had retired the year after Ben was born at the age of thirty-eight and was now the coach for the Broncos and Maroons.

Living in a rugby-league obsessed state, it was no surprise that Ben would be well-known just because he was related to him and that fans and total strangers constantly surrounded his father, asking for autographs and photos, but if there was one good thing that came out of it, it was the free gear and tickets to home games and State of Origin games that were in Brisbane.

Of course, Ben played the occasional game and watched it live and on TV but he did it for fun, as he never considered it as a career, preferring to surf. He didn't want to play the game just because everyone said that he should because of his heritage.

If Ben had to be totally honest with himself, he felt more comfortable surfing on the sea than sweating on a footy field, but he would never say it since he knew it would disappoint his father, as they hardly saw each other during the footy season, but now that it was summer, this was the only time that they were in the same place and Ben wanted to savour every moment before pre-season started.

* * *

Stretching his legs again which were starting to cramp and with the sun's rays spreading some colour on his already tanned skin, Ben rose out of the chair to join his father and Des, who was Phil's team-mate in their playing days and the assistant coach at the Broncos and had narrowly missed out on the Kangaroos coaching job.

They were having a few beers as they were leaning against the rails of the yacht that was called the _Lara,_ named after Ben's beloved late mother, the model Lara Burgess, who died when he was five years old and who had taken care of him as Phil finished off his career and started coaching until her death.

'Ah, Ben, mate, so glad you could join us,' Phil said, 'are you having a good birthday so far? I tell you, it's a beaut day for it, hope it stays this way for your party later tonight, although I would've have preferred it to be on land in a local footy club rather than in the yacht on the sea.'

Once fit and athletic, with a full head of brown hair from his playing days, Phil was now fifty-five, balding with thinning hair and brown eyes and was a little bit tubby around the middle, but he was by no means fat and was wearing a simple white shirt and shorts.

'Yes, Dad, it's been a blast and I can't wait for tonight, so that I can drink legally! I looked like such an idiot at schoolies last year, when everyone else could drink and I couldn't since I was 'underage!' Ben said, using finger quotes for the last word.

'But I still enjoyed it, regardless,' he then said, grinning.

Today was his eighteenth birthday and he was delighted that he was finally able to drink at his party on the yacht that they were having that night, to the chagrin of Phil, who had preferred it to be at a local rugby club.

Ben had also finished school last year and was going to study at Bond University next month for a business degree, as it had always been one of his interests.

'Isn't this great, Dad?' he then said, as he saw the magnificent sight of his home and the ocean, which was the very thing he saw as he woke up every morning from his bedroom window. He truly was lucky to live in such a beautiful place.

'Isn't this what being a Queenslander is all about? Living near the beach, surfing and being out on the sea in a yacht, watching the world go by, while the sun shines in your face and the breeze whips your hair, without a care in the world?

I wouldn't swap this for anything!' Ben said, as Ruby jumped into his arms, panting heavily, as a slight breeze whipped against her fur.

'Even Ruby agrees with me, don't you, girl? You love living in Mermaid Beach, don't you?'

Ruby barked happily in agreement, as Ben patted her.

'Yes, delightful,' Phil said, rather uninterestingly, but it was about being on the water, not about being a Queenslander, since he was a true one and was proud of it.

If Ben was more comfortable on the sea than the footy field, Phil was more at home at Suncorp Stadium watching his beloved team play for him, like he had done years ago. He was not really an ocean person, like Ben and his wife had been.

'If you want to be seasick all the time, having huge swells crash against your boat, being out in terrible weather, the sun giving you a rather attractive shade of lobster on your skin and having seagulls swoop over you, looking for food!' he said.

'Your party should be a blast, Ben,' Des said, 'it's a great opportunity for you and your old man to spend time together before the pre-season starts again.

And what better place to have your special day on your yacht named after your beautiful mother, on the sea that you love so much. She'll be smiling down on you today, mate, as the weather is truly perfect for a birthday party on a yacht.

Sunny skies without a cloud in sight, sparkling warm blue water, warm sun, a slight breeze; Queen Daisy must be in a friendly, festive mood today if she's giving us this delightful weather, although there is supposed to be a thunderstorm later tonight, but let's hope it stays away during your party,' said Des.

'Queen Daisy?' Ben said, curious, 'who's she?'

'You don't know who Queen Daisy is, Ben?' Des said, shocked, 'I thought that your mother would have told you this when you were little, since she loved mermaids!

Queen Daisy is the ruler of the merpeople, mate. Deep down in this very ocean, there's an underwater kingdom called Aquaria, which has existed for centuries but although no one has seen a single merperson for years, they live down there, in mysterious fathoms below.'

Ben was amazed to hear that merpeople seemed to exist, more so than hearing the assistant coach of the Broncos talking about them. He liked Des, since he was such a friendly man, whom he had known for as long as he could remember, but he had a child-like imagination and he tended to confuse fantasy with reality.

His mother had told him many stories about mermaids when he was little, since they had loved them so much and it was one of the precious memories he had of her, but not about a so-called underwater kingdom near his home and he was curious to find out about it.

'Do merpeople really exist, Des?' he said, to which Phil rolled his eyes at hearing such nonsense.

'Of course they do, where else did Mermaid Beach get its name from?' Des said.

'I thought that it was named after the _HMS Mermaid_ that John Oxley travelled on, when he discovered the Tweed and Brisbane rivers in 1823,' Ben said, 'at least that's what I learned in school.'

'Ah, but that's what they _want_ you to think,' Des said, slyly, 'There's a secret bit of Australian and Queensland history that they're not telling you. Mermaid Beach was named after the merfolk who inhabit the ocean underneath it and that's no lie.'

'Merpeople,' Phil scoffed, 'Ben, pay no attention to this nonsense, mate. They only exist in fairy tales, cute Disney movies and your mother's stories. And Des, don't be going putting silly ideas into his head.

Look at you, a grown man who is the assistant coach of the Brisbane Broncos and you are talking about figments of your imagination, rather than thinking about the upcoming season! This is 2015, for God's sake, merpeople don't exist in this day and age!'

'But it's true, Phil,' Des said, 'It's not nonsense, just ask those who truly believe in it, they'll tell you what I've said. Down in the depths in the ocean they live!'

The subject was soon dropped, when Phil and Des started talking about the upcoming footy season and they were confident that this was the year the Broncos would win the NRL Premiership and that Queensland would win State of Origin again after losing to New South Wales last year.

Ben knelt down and peered into the ocean, wondering if he would ever see a mermaid in his life time, like his mother said he would, just as a little pink fish bobbed up from the surface before shyly jumping back into the water.

* * *

Deep down in the ocean, the water was clear, with a few starfish swaying amongst the kelp and flower bushes, as merpeople and sea creatures swam towards the grand palace of the kingdom that they called home.

The beautiful kingdom of Aquaria, which had existed for centuries and was unspoiled by humans; shone a brilliant royal blue, which was the colour of its many buildings and the palace, for today was its national day.

The kingdom and its inhabitants were in a festive mood, as they swam to the grand concert hall and took their seats in front of the stage, eagerly anticipating the great tradition that was soon to take place, the concert in which the daughters of their beloved queen, Daisy, sang to them as they tossed flowers around the stage and to the audience.

While the assembly were taking their seats and calming down restless children, backstage, last minute preparations were taking place, as the mer-princesses were doing warm-up exercises and practicing their flower tossing.

The distinguished court composer and adviser to Queen Daisy, Senna St. Clair, a pale red crab with a string of pearls around her neck, was carrying a clipboard around and gathering up her music notes, checking to see if everything was intact.

'Music notes, baton, flowers, clams… yes, that's everything,' she said in a plummy English accent,

'Rose, Marigold, Daffodil…' she then muttered as she ticked off six of the seven names of the princesses, as they hopped into the clams, holding their flower baskets. Senna then froze in shock as she noticed that one name hadn't been ticked off.

The princess, who was to make her musical debut today, what the entire kingdom was hugely anticipating and had been talking about for weeks.

The princess who was her mother's favourite and had the most beautiful voice in all of Aquaria, which made mermen melt.

The princess who wasn't there…yet.

'Oh, no,' Senna moaned, 'this is the most important concert of my entire career and if she doesn't turn up in time, my career is over and the queen will be most displeased! And I'll be tomorrow's night entrée!'

She nervously nibbled the tip of her claw, as she gingerly pulled the curtain back to see the entire concert hall packed to the rafters, which only increased her anxiety as her face turned white.

'Is everything ready, Senna?' Queen Daisy said, as she swam towards Senna, who quickly turned back to her normal colour and faced the queen, who smiled at the crab, which made her feel at ease..for now.

Daisy was nearing middle age, but she still looked as beautiful and youthful as the day she ascended the throne of Aquaria and still had an hourglass figure in spite of having seven children, which made her the envy of many mermaids her age.

She had lovely light brown hair in a half-bun and wore a gold crown with pearls on top of her head; blue eyes and in her hand, she carried her ever-present sceptre which possessed great powers.

She wore white seashells, with yellow chiffon sleeves and a gold decoration, a gold necklace with a shell that resembled her namesake and her tail was white with yellow fins and belt.

Daisy was the benevolent and much loved ruler of Aquaria, due to her kindness, concern about the kingdom's welfare, and her tendency to remain cool, calm and collected in public at all times, even in the worst of crises but that wasn't to say that she wasn't prone to losing her temper when something angered her or if the kingdom was in danger.

And Senna was determined to make sure that she wouldn't be losing her temper today if one of her daughters didn't show up for her debut on time, although the chances of that happening were very slim, as Daisy was in a happy and festive mood and Senna ensured that she stayed that way.

'Oh, yes, Your Majesty, we're just about ready,' Senna said, 'I've just finished some last minute preparations and we'll be good to go.'

'Wonderful,' Daisy said, 'You know, Senna, I'm really looking forward to this year's concert, more so than usual. I have a feeling that this will be the best one in Aquaria's proud history.'

'Indeed, Your Majesty, this will be the crème de la crème of concerts! The biggest one in my entire career, the finest one I have ever conducted and that's saying something!

Your daughters, they will be spectacular! They have been rehearsing hard for weeks to perfect their performance! Soon, all of Aquaria will be hearing their sweet voices that they only get to hear once a year!'

'As they always are,' Daisy said, with quiet pride, 'and especially my little Lily. This is such a big day for her, her long awaited debut concert, which she has so been looking forward to and so has the entire kingdom, didn't you know?

It's all that they've been talking about for weeks, about how excited they are to hear Lily finally sing. It'll be such a pleasure hearing her..'

Daisy's praise about Lily elicited some groans from inside the clams and Senna's anxiety came back to her, for she was the youngest of Daisy's seven daughters and her mother's favourite, not to mention the constant source of Senna's anxiety and headaches, due to her skipping rehearsals more often than once.

'Yes, yes,' she said, 'she has the most beautiful voice, hmm? One that makes all the mermen melt when they hear it?'

'Indeed and I can tell you, there's a fair number of young mermen in the audience today!' Daisy said, chuckling, 'and I bet it's because of them wanting to hear Lily sing!'

'Oh, yes, Your Majesty, very much so,' Senna said, 'if only she would turn up for rehearsals once in a while,' saying the last sentence quietly so that the queen wouldn't hear.

'What was that, Senna?' Daisy said, as she climbed into her shell chariot with three dolphins attached to it.

'Nothing, Your Majesty, just some last minute nerves, that's all,' Senna said. How right she was.

'Good luck girls!' Daisy called out to the clams, as she stood in position while Senna gathered up her music sheets and baton, climbing into her cone shell and breathing deeply to calm her nerves.

'Thank you, Mother!' six voices chorused, as the clams were positioned on the stage. As the Aquarian national anthem was played in the hall, Senna took one last deep breath and hoped that somehow, Lily would make her way to the concert on time.

* * *

The national anthem ended and the assembly resumed their seats and one merman was fanning his programme in a bored manner until his wife hit him, when the queen's herald, a little purple seahorse named Nadine blew on a trumpet, which got their attention and announced in her best voice,

'Citizens of Aquaria, please rise for the arrival of Her Majesty, Queen Daisy!'

Cheers erupted and the crowd clapped enthusiastically as the queen rode her chariot on the stage, composed and calm as usual, as she waved to her dear and loyal subjects and used her sceptre to light up a huge chandelier before disembarking from her chariot and heading up to her podium, which was flanked by two guards.

Once the crowd settled down and Daisy was seated, Nadine then announced,

'Please remain standing for the arrival of the distinguished court composer, Senna St. Clair!'

Senna's arrival was rather lacklustre compared to the grand entrance of Daisy, as the crowd clapped mildly and a fanfare of kazoos played out, as she rode on her cone shell which was pulled by two fish, but she managed a sheepish smile as she took her place on the podium and faced the crowd, who were looking at her eagerly.

Taking a deep breath, she said in her best voice,

'My fellow citizens of Aquaria, I proudly present to you on our national day, the Daughters of Daisy,'

 _Here goes nothing,_ she said, tapping her baton, _I just hope that Lily has made it in time._

The orchestra played a cheerful and lively tune as the curtains were pulled back and three clams rose on the stage which opened to reveal six of the seven daughters of Daisy, as their mother smiled at them with quiet pride.

 _'_ _Ah, we are the daughters of Daisy,'_ they sang sweetly, ' _Great mother who loves us and named us well.'_

Each mermaid rose up from the clams, sang their name, vocalised afterwards and tossed the flowers that bore their names on the stage and towards the audience who rose up from their seats to catch them.

 _'_ _Rose,'_ a light brown-haired mermaid with red seashells and tail sang and threw red roses.

 _'_ _Marigold,'_ a dark brown-haired mermaid with orange seashells and tail sang and tossed marigolds.

 _'_ _Daffodil,'_ a dark blonde-haired mermaid with yellow seashells and tail sang, flashing a goofy smile as she tossed the yellow flowers all over the place, which the audience laughed at.

' _Fern,'_ a black-haired mermaid with green seashells and tail sang rather sourly and she threw the ferns limply and without any enthusiasm.

 _'_ _Bluebell,'_ another brown-haired mermaid with blue seashells and tail sang, tossing the little bluebells gently.

 _'_ _Violet,'_ a light sandy-haired mermaid with purple seashells and tail sang, blowing kisses as she tossed the little purple flowers around.

 _'_ _And then there's the youngest in her musical debut,'_ the six then sang, as the moment that the entire kingdom had been waiting a whole year for came, as another large clam rose up behind them and the mermaids pointed towards it,

' _Our seventh little sister, we're presenting her to you,'_ they chorused,

The audience cheered, while Senna turned towards Daisy and grinned at her as the queen smiled, waiting for her youngest daughter to make her long-awaited debut, before Senna turned her attention back to the girls, as they continued singing,

' _Who will give you the flower that bears her name and she'll sing a song that Senna wrote,_

 _Her voice is like a bell, she's our sister, Li-'_

The clam opened, which was empty and the girls and the audience gasped for they did not see Lily nor hear her beautiful voice, which confirmed Senna's worst fears.

'Oh, no, where is she?' she said, putting her claws to her head, as the girls stood on the stage, unsure about what to do next, as the crowd muttered angrily to themselves. Looking at the stunned mermaids, she whispered,

'Sing the last line again,'

' _Our sister, Lily,'_ the girls sang but Lily still didn't appear to the dismay and anger of the crowd as Senna groaned. The concert was over, Aquarian National Day was ruined and, quite possibly, her career was over as well.

'Thanks for nothing, Senna!' someone shouted in the crowd, as the poor crab sunk behind the podium.

'Ooooh, tough crowd,' Daffodil said.

Senna couldn't even bear to look at the queen, but when she did, she meekly looked up and saw Daisy still sitting in her podium, trying to remain calm and collected but, judging by the frown on her face, curled lip and her fingers gripping her sceptre, it was obvious that she was not happy.

* * *

 _Uh oh, Lily is in trouble!_

 _Read and review and you'll meet the naughty little mermaid in the next chapter!_


	2. New Discoveries and Treasures

On the outskirts of Aquaria, unaware of the chaos that she had unintentionally caused, the little mermaid named Lily, who was _supposed_ to have been singing at the concert, was instead swimming towards an ancient shipwreck, carrying a bulging coral pink bag of treasures and a strange paddle-like object, which was a cricket bat, on top as it was too big to fit inside, that she had found bobbing on the surface earlier.

Her long blonde hair flowed behind her like a veil as she flicked her pink tail while she kept swimming, which was impressive since she was carrying a full bag and a bulky but not heavy object until she reached the shipwreck, smiling as she saw it, thinking about the wonderful treasures that it might contain.

Out of all of Daisy's daughters, Lily was the most beautiful, free-spirited and adventurous and a bit of a risk taker, preferring to go out on adventures, exploring and discovering new and exciting places and things instead of sitting around in the palace all day like her sisters did and the more risky the adventure was, the more exciting it was for her.

Everyone had said that she was so like her father, the late king of Aquaria, Hollis and it was certainly true, which was one of the reasons why she was her mother's favourite daughter and was overprotective of her.

She was also curious about humans and their world that was forbidden to her, but that only made her want to find about it more, as shown by her treasure bag filled with human things that would send her mother into fifty fits if she were to see them.

'Lily, wait for me!' a small voice said behind her which belonged to a little pink fish with dark pink stripes and fins and wore a flower in her hair, who was struggling to keep up with the mermaid who was her best friend.

'Hurry up, Aurora, there's still much more to explore and discover today!' Lily laughed, as Aurora finally managed to catch up with her.

Once known as 'Girl Guppy #3', Lily had found the fish when she was separated from her school and the two became instant best friends since they were both lonely and needed a friend and Lily had named her after a princess in a book that she had read and loved.

Aurora was always by Lily's side even if she didn't always like the adventures they went on, particularly if they were dangerous, since she was easily scared and nervous, but brave when she needed to be and would do anything for her friend.

'You know I can't swim as fast as you,' Aurora said, as she tried to catch her breath.

'That's because you eat too many seaweed donuts, Aurora!' Lily chuckled, 'They're not doing your waistline any good and are making you into a chubby guppy!' as she poked Aurora's tummy, which made the fish giggle.

'But I love them so much, Lily, especially the pink frosted ones!' Aurora said, 'and I sure would love to have one right now!'

'You can, once we've explored this shipwreck,' Lily said, 'I bet there are more wonderful treasures in there, some which may be as old as me or maybe even older and what better way to learn about a time before yours than to find the objects they used, as well as the present?

Come on, Aurora, the treasures aren't going to discover themselves, you know!' Lily said, as she swam towards the shipwreck, eager to explore it, only for Aurora not to follow her, clearly showing reluctance, for to her, it looked eerie-looking and damp.

'I don't know, Lily,' Aurora said, 'sure it looks neat to you, but it's just that..I care about you and I don't want something bad happening and that shipwreck looks kinda creepy and damp and it's getting late, so we should be heading back home before we get in trouble.

Not to mention that you have already collected treasures today and there may be sharks around.'

'Oh, Aurora, you're not getting cold fins, are you?' Lily said, 'it's nice that you care about me but everything will be fine, we've still got plenty of time and you never know what's in there until you find it. Besides, you can never have too many treasures!'

Seeing the reluctant look on Aurora's face, Lily then thought of an idea to get her to change her mind.

'Tell you what, you don't have to go in, if you don't want to,' she then said, hoping to trick the guppy.

'Really?' Aurora said.

'No, you don't. You can stay out here and watch out for sharks while I go exploring. Too bad you'll miss out on the fun,' Lily said, trying to hide a snicker, as she swam into the shipwreck.

Aurora pondered for a moment before her eyes grew as wide as plates when she heard the word 'sharks' and her fins shivered, for that was the thing that she was most afraid of.

She was deeply afraid of sharks, amongst other things, scary monsters that would no doubt be looking for a timid, vulnerable guppy for dinner and the idea of watching out for them while her best friend was in that creepy shipwreck was more terrifying than that.

 _Surely exploring an old shipwreck must be better than being shark food,_ Aurora thought as she pondered her choice, while watching Lily swim around in the shipwreck, in her own world, oblivious to any potential dangers..unprotected.

'Shipwreck or shark food,' Aurora said, 'shipwreck or shark food,' then she made up her mind.

'Wait for me, Lily!' she said, swimming into a narrow hole that used to be one of the windows of the ship before getting stuck in it as her unhealthy obsession with seaweed donuts was catching up to her, unaware of a shark-shaped shadow that was looming nearby.

* * *

Lily was still swimming around the whole of the ship, looking for any treasures that may still be lying around and was slightly disappointed that she hadn't found any yet, thinking that they had long been collected when she saw Aurora struggling to get through the hole and laughed at her friend.

'Oh, Aurora,' she said.

'Little help?' Aurora said. Lily swam over to the hapless fish and tried to pull her out, as the little fish wriggled with all her might but still stayed stuck.

'Aurora, you really need to lay off the seaweed donuts!' Lily said.

'I know, but they're so good!' Aurora whined, as she kept wriggling with neither mermaid nor fish making much progress.

'Hey, Lily,' she then said nervously, 'are there really sharks around here or were you trying to trick me into coming into the ship?'

'Of course not, Aurora,' Lily said, 'and nothing bad is going to happen, so stop being such a guppy,' not noticing the huge and menacing grey shark that was swimming past the ship's windows.

'I'm not a guppy!' Aurora protested.

Finally, after a few grunts from the fish and the determined pulls from Lily, Aurora was free and nervously followed the young mermaid as she kept swimming around the ship, but she pretended to be excited about the whole thing, so that Lily wouldn't be suspicious.

'Okay, everything's fine around here,' she said, trying to convince herself, 'I'm just swimming around a shipwreck, that just happens to be creepy and damp, on one of our adventures, with my best friend, who is always by my side and nothing bad is going to happen.

This is really great, I'm enjoying this and nothing can go…AHHHHHHH!'

Aurora screamed when she saw a human skull and swam as fast as she could to get away from it, only in her haste and not looking where she was going, hit a plank of wood that was jutting out on the deck, which made Lily quickly swim over to her and gather the poor fish up in her arms.

Aurora was dazed and dizzy but was otherwise unhurt, as she rubbed her head with her fin, feeling for any bumps.

'Aurora, are you okay?' Lily said.

'Yeah, sure, I'm fine,' Aurora answered her, shaking like seaweed before swimming out of Lily's arms and the mermaid continued exploring the shipwreck when all of a sudden, a shiny silver object caught her eye and she gasped in excitement at finally seeing a hidden treasure.

'Oh my gosh!' she said, picking up the strange object, which had some sort of handle with four pointed ends on top.

To anyone, it looked like an ordinary fork, but from the way Lily was looking at it, they would think that she discovered the Holy Grail.

'Aurora, come over here, I've found something!' Lily cried out, as Aurora hurried over to see the fork in Lily's hands, staring at it in amazement but didn't know what it was.

'Isn't this the most wonderful thing you have ever seen in your life?' Lily said.

'It's really neat, Lily, but what is it?' Aurora said.

'I don't know, but I bet Sandy does!' Lily said, 'She knows everything about humans, so I bet she can tell me what this shiny object is and the other things I found of the surface when we go and see her.'

While Lily was still staring at the strange silver object before putting in her bag carefully so the points wouldn't pierce an oval-shaped object that was already inside, the distinctive rumbling of the shark was getting closer to the ship, having spotted its dinner as it started hungrily at the frightened fish who was looking at it through the window and the oblivious mermaid who had discovered another human object.

'L-L-Lily?' Aurora stammered nervously, tugging at her tail to get her attention, while Lily was looking interestingly at the thin brown pipe she was holding, trying to figure out what it was.

'Not now, Aurora,' Lily said, distracted by the pipe, 'I wonder what this thing is. Maybe Sandy might know about it as well.'

'Lily!' Aurora yelped as she frantically pointed at the window, the shark now dangerously close, growling and baring its sharp teeth, 'there's a s..s..sh..sh..'

'There's a what?' Lily said.

'SHARK!' Aurora screamed, just as the shark smashed through the window, growling furiously and gnashing its teeth, ready to feast on its hapless victims.

Lily turned and saw that Aurora was right as her eyes grew wide in fear, while Aurora was shaking beyond belief, her worst fears coming true, as she desperately tried to avoid the shark.

Lily quickly stuffed the pipe in her bag and put a protective arm around Aurora as they swam like their lives depended on it, as the terrible creature chased them, devouring everything in its path.

SHARK, SHARK, WE'RE GONNA DIE! WE'RE GONNA DIE!' Aurora shrieked, 'WE'RE GONNA BE SHARK FOOD! SHARK FOOD!'

'Aurora, be quiet and swim!' Lily said, but Aurora kept screaming as the shark kept chasing them, while chomping on the wood. The two managed to make it to the hole that they came in only for Lily to realise that she had dropped her bag and the bat which were right in the shark's path.

Urging Aurora to go up on the deck so that she would be safe and out of harm's way, with the fish still screaming, Lily bravely swam towards her treasures, as she tried to fight back a repressed memory that had been in her mind but she shook it off and managed to collect both her bag and the bat, narrowing avoiding the shark as it lunged at her but only got a mouthful of wood for its efforts.

Holding the cricket bat in her hand, Lily suddenly had a bright idea and when the shark tried to attack her a second time, she used it to whack it in the head which stunned the shark, as it swayed confusedly, unsure about what had happened and Lily was able to make her escape up to the deck with both her treasures and her life.

'Lily!' Aurora said, 'I thought that shark was going to eat you for sure! How did you manage to get away?'

'With this,' Lily said, holding up the cricket bat, 'I used it to stun the shark, just as it was about to get me. It won't be able to chase us now.'

However, just as she said it, the shark soon recovered from being hit and broke through the deck; completely destroying what little remained of the ship and chased Lily and Aurora to where a discarded anchor was lying in the sand.

'Aurora, come over here!' Lily said, as the little fish swam towards her, desperate to get away from the shark that was getting dangerous close to them.

Her quick thinking shone through again and Lily passed through the loop effortlessly, with Aurora following behind only for her to get stuck again but Lily was able to get her out without any trouble this time just before the shark was about to bite.

But due to being so large and the loop being narrow, the shark did not get the dinner it wanted but its head stuck in the loop, as it struggled furiously to free itself to no avail.

Lily swooped down to where her treasures were and was relieved to find them still intact and the bat luckily didn't have a single dent in spite of being used to whack the shark on the head.

Aurora, who was now calm since she wasn't going to be shark food, turned to the pathetic-looking creature and took advantage of the fact that it was stuck in the loop by taunting it.

'You big meanie!' she said and unwisely blew a raspberry which enraged the shark who opened its jaws but were quickly snapped shut due to the loop restricting it, barely missing Aurora's tongue.

With a yelp, Aurora quickly swam up to Lily, who was making her way towards the surface and she chuckled at her best friend.

'Aurora, you really are a guppy,' Lily said fondly as the two got closer to the surface.

'I am not!' Aurora protested for the second time.

'Guppy says what?'

'What?'

'I told you!'

* * *

Up on the surface, a seagull was sitting on a flattish rock, fluffing the feathers on her head, which were styled up in a messy ponytail, the bottom ones ruffled out like a skirt and her beak was covered with smudged lipstick, which was an indicator of her scatter-brained and clueless personality as she was singing a song to herself, one that she had heard humans singing on her travels.

 _'_ _Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong,'_ she sang, or rather caterwauled for her singing voice was atrocious and would send many birds and animals scurrying if they were to hear it, but the seagull was oblivious to this.

'Humans sure sing the weirdest songs!' she said to no one in particular, 'what's a swagman, what is he jolly about and why is he camping by a billabong?'

She kept singing,

 _'_ _Under the shade of the coolibah treeee,'_ stressing out the last word, then she frowned and said,

'I thought humans loved being in the sun! This guy, whoever he is, wants to be under the shade of this so-called coolibah tree! And then who's this Matilda he wants to waltz with?'

'Who am I even talking to?' she said.

'Sandy!' Lily's voice rang out, as she and Aurora rose from the water and Sandy's face lit up, as she grabbed her telescope and looked out the wrong end as she saw Lily waving at her, which made the mermaid seem far away.

'That's who!' Sandy said, yelling to Lily, 'Mermaid and fish off the port bow! Lily, how are you doing, sweetie?'

She then lowered the telescope to see that Lily was actually right in front of her, as opposed to being in the distance as Sandy believed her to be.

'Wow, you got here fast,' she said, 'either you're a fast swimmer or my viewabob isn't working properly!'

'Sandy, what was that song you were singing?' Lily said, 'It sounded so lovely,'

'Oh, it's a silly song that humans like to sing,' Sandy said, 'it's about a guy who's a swaggy man who's camping by some place he calls a billybong and it's under the shade of a cooliebob tree and later on, he's gonna waltz with some woman called Matilda.'

'That's so sweet,' Lily said, 'where did you hear it?'

'I heard some humans singing it when I was travelling around this place they call Melly Burn. They were all gathered together and their voices were ringing around in the sky so loud that yours truly picked up on the words! And what a strange song it was but humans seem to love it.' Sandy said.

'You sure do get around a lot, Sandy,' Lily said, enviously.

'Sure do, sweetie, with these little babies here,' Sandy said, flapping her wings, 'I've been to many places with very strange names and are full of humans! Lots and lots of them!

Blissbane, Seednay, Melly Burn, Addieglade, Plurth, Darrwinnie, Canberry, Hobbittbarty- you name it, I've been there and done that! Just last week, I went to this place called Rocky Clampton, which sadly does not have rocks or clams, which I found out the hard way.

And every one of them had humans,' Sandy said and Lily giggled at the silly names that she heard.

'Speaking of humans,' Lily said, when the talk of humans reminded her of why she came up here in the first place and put her bag on the rock,

'I found these treasures today and I was wondering if you knew anything about them,' as she took the objects out of the bag as Sandy was looking at them eagerly, like all her birthdays had come at once.

'You've come to the right seagull, Lily,' Sandy said, 'If there's anything that I know a lot about, is humans and the many weird and wonderful things that they use!

There isn't anything I don't know about them and it looks like you've got quite a collection here!

Let's take a looksee,' she said, as Lily first handed her the fork and Sandy inspected it thoroughly, making 'hhmmm,' and 'mmmm' noises as she did so.

'Oh, I haven't seen one of these babies in years! That's how rare and special it is,' she said.

'What is it, Sandy?' Lily said, her sapphire blue eyes twinkling curiously.

Seeing the eager look in the curious little mermaid's eyes, Sandy then explained its 'use' rather cluelessly,

'Now, Lily, what you see before you now is called a _dinglehopper._ Humans use this little thing to…um, style and straighten their hair!

Allow me to demonstrate,' Sandy then said, running the so-called 'dinglehopper' through her ponytail of feathers, humming to herself until she yanked it out, revealing a huge fuzz of feathers.

Sandy looked like she had zapped by a powerline, but it made Lily and Aurora laugh before the fuzz turned back into her ponytail.

'You see a fabulous, pleasing, fluffy fuzz of hair that humans go ga-ga over!' Sandy said, grinning, while passing the fork back to Lily, who looked at it in awe.

'A dinglehopper,' she said to herself.

'What's next on the list, sweetie?' Sandy then said, 'what else have you got to show me?'

'I have these things that I found earlier bobbing around on the surface,' Lily said, putting the cricket bat, a cricket ball and a rugby league ball on the rock and Sandy looked at them with more interest that she did with the fork, like she had never seen them before.

'That's a first,' she said, 'these are incredibly rare, much rarer than the dinglehopper, but very interesting indeed. That's a sign of the times we live in..'

'Sandy,' Lily said,

'Oh, sorry, sweetie, got lost in my thoughts there,' Sandy said, picking up the oval ball which was decorated with blue and yellow stripes, had a picture of a warrior on it and some wording that Sandy didn't understand and looked at it for a long time, trying to determine what it was and find a way to explain it.

'Eureeky, I've got it!' Sandy exclaimed triumphantly,

'This oval thing is called a _passamawhatchit._ It's a funny oval shape because it has been passed around so much by humans since they love to show if off to their fellow humans about how great and valuable it is, that it has been squashed by their hands by holding it too much.'

'A passamawhatchit _,'_ Lily said, fascinated, 'how amazing,'

'Of course they do so at their own risk because the passamawhatchit is so valuable to them that other humans want to steal it. Like this one here,' Sandy said, as she struggled to read the wording on it,

'Gold-Coa-st-Tit-tan-s,' she said, 'Woah, you better be careful with this one, sweetie, these coastal titans may want their gold passamawhatchit back someday. I just don't understand why they would throw it away; it must be worth a fortune!

Oh well, their loss, your gain,' Sandy said, as she handed the ball back to Lily, who was hanging on the clueless seagull's every word, as she explained what her treasures were.

'Now these things here are called a _paddlelapper,'_ Sandy then explained, holding the cricket bat in one wing, 'and a _bounceabobble,'_ and the cricket ball in the other.

'The paddlelapper is used mainly for balancing and bouncing the bounceabobble and humans make a game of it by seeing how many bounces they can make with it before it falls off. However, the paddlelapper can also be used for paddling in the ocean..'

'And for whacking sharks on the head!' Aurora said, 'we were being chased by a shark when we were exploring a shipwreck and Lily used the paddlelapper to whack it on the head!'

'Did she now?' Sandy said, as Aurora imitated Lily's whacks with the bat, making silly noises while Lily giggled, 'that was pretty brave of you, sweetie, I've would have been flapping my feathers if I were you!'

'Thanks, Sandy,' Lily said, slightly embarrassed, 'now can you please show me how to play with the bouncabobble and paddlelapper? I'd love to try it!'

'Sorry, sweetie, I'd love to but I've only got wings and they're no good for holding them,' Sandy said ruefully, 'as useful and practical as they are, they're just not capable of balancing any object. Why don't you try it instead since you are the only one here who has hands?'

'Well, okay,' Lily said, as she held the 'paddlelapper' in one hand and carefully balanced the 'bouncabobble' on it, gently lifting it up, as the ball rose into the air…and into the water where it bobbed up and down.

It took a few tries for Lily to get the hang of it, but eventually she was able to bounce the ball up and down on the bat, while Aurora and Sandy counted the number of bounces she made.

Lily got up to ten bounces before her arm grew tired and the ball fell off the bat for the second time.

'Ten bounces, that's a new record, Lily!' Sandy said, 'you're a real natural! Keep practicing and you'll soon be the world champion!'

'Thanks, Sandy, that was really fun,' Lily said, putting the ball and bat back on the rock, 'Aurora and I should play it more often,' only to realise that Aurora didn't have any hands and wouldn't be able to hold them.

'Or maybe not,' she said sheepishly.

Then she picked up the last thing that she had gotten from the shipwreck and the last thing she wanted to show Sandy, before the shark chased them which was the brown pipe and gave it to Sandy.

'Sandy, this is the thing I also found in the shipwreck before the shark came and chased us and I was wondering what it could be,' she said, as the seagull looked at it and a huge smile appeared on her face as she held it in her wing.

* * *

'Ah, the _snarfblatt,_ ' she said, saying it like it was the most rarest and valuable treasure in the world, 'The granddaddy of all human items,' as Lily and Aurora leaned in to listen to her lecture, as she said,

'You see, the snarfblatt dates back to prehistoric times, where humans used to pass the time in their everyday lives by sitting around all day and staring at each other.

It got very boring and was a huge strain on their eyes and sometimes the face that they were looking into would be very unpleasant!'

Lily and Aurora laughed out loud, while Sandy rolled her eyes and continued talking,

'To ease the boredom and to save their eyesight, humans invented the snarfblatt to make wonderful music!' she said and attempted to give a demonstration by blowing into it, but all she did was blow raspberries and send sprays of water and seaweed, which had been stuck in the pipe, flying all over the place as Aurora giggled.

At the mention of the word 'music', Lily stood frozen as Sandy continued her ridiculous performance with the pipe, as she remembered something. It wasn't the repressed memory that fought with her mind when she fetched her bag before the shark lunged at her, it was something else.

It was something that she was supposed to have done today and it wasn't her treasure hunting expedition.

It was something that involved music and the celebration of her kingdom.

It was something that the entire kingdom had been talking about for weeks.

It all dawned on her, as she slapped her hand to her head and groaned.

'Music,' she said, 'Oh, no, no, no!'

'Aw don't worry, sweetie,' said Sandy, noticing Lily's expression on her face, 'once I get rid of this gunk, the snarfblatt will be working in no time!'

'No, I don't mean that!' said Lily, dismayed, 'Today is Aquarian National Day and I was supposed to be making my singing debut at the concert, which everyone in the kingdom was talking about for weeks and I totally forgot about it!

Oh, my mum's going to kill me!' she groaned.

'The Aquarian National Day concert was today?' Aurora said.

'Maybe you could put some kelp and tiny flowers in it to make a nice planter for your garden,' Sandy said, giving the pipe back to Lily, who frantically stuffed it into her bag, along with her other treasures.

'I'm so sorry, Sandy, but I've got to go! Thank you so much!' Lily said, gathering up her bag and made a hasty dive back into the ocean, with Aurora following behind.

'See you later, sweetie!' Sandy called back as she watched the two swim deep into the ocean.

'What a nice girl she is,' she then said, as she sat back on the rock and fluffed up her feathers as she sang to herself.

Swimming faster than they did when they were being chased by the shark, Lily and Aurora hurriedly headed back to the palace in Aquaria, well aware of the huge trouble that they were in.

They were also worried about facing the wrath of Queen Daisy about missing an important concert, not realising that at this very moment, they were being watched by a sinister figure from the dark depths of the ocean…

* * *

 _Looks like trouble's on the horizon! And Lily, your mum is NOT going to be very happy with you!_

 _Thanks to all of those who have read, reviewed, followed and favourite this fanfic so far! And Sandy, well she's not the sharpest tool in the shed!_

 _Here's a list of the city names in Australia she mispronounces, in case you were confused:_

 _Blissbane: Brisbane_

 _Seednay: Sydney_

 _Melly Burn: Melbourne_

 _Addieglade: Adelaide_

 _Plurth: Perth_

 _Darwinnie: Darwin_

 _Canberry: Canberra_

 _Hobbittbarty: Hobart_

 _Rocky Clampton: Rockhampton_

 _Hope I haven't offended anyone from those places (or any Gold Coast Titans fans!)_

 _NB: I changed the seagull's name from Gilly to Sandy, as one reviewer told me that it rhymed with Lily, so don't panic, she's still the same goofy seagull but with a different name!_


	3. Reprimanded

The figure stared menacingly at her see-all bubble, as she saw the little mermaid and her fishy companion swim hurriedly home from her lair which was in the darkest depths of the ocean, far away from Aquaria and it was where unsavoury types of sea creatures or those who posed a threat to the kingdom's safety within the ocean were banished and exiled, unfit to face society and to keep Aquaria's citizens safe from harm.

And that was certainly the case for this particular creature, a sea witch that was called Sharla, who was as thin and sleek as a shark, which was true, since she had the lower body of one and the upper half of a human.

She had light blue skin, dark teal hair in a bob with stray bits flying all over the place, blue eyes and she wore heavy make-up and lipstick and a slightly sheer dark teal top which was the same colour as her tail and it had light teal tips at the bottom and fins.

Still staring into the bubble, Sharla gave a wicked grin when she saw that the mermaid was Lily and knew the reason why she was in such a hurry to get home.

'Yes that's right, swim home, little princess,' she said, her voice dripping like honey, 'You don't want to miss your kingdom's big day and Mummy's special little concert, do you?'

Sharla's smile then turned into a scowl of disgust as she rose up from her 'throne' and swam around her lair, her tail swishing back and forth while she ranted to no one in particular, for this day brought out her anger and resentment about the queen, the kingdom and the reason she had been exiled.

She had been an important part of the royal court years ago, but she abused her power and privileges and had tried to overthrow Daisy as she believed that she would make a better ruler than the queen.

As a result, like she did with anyone who posed a threat to the kingdom, Daisy swiftly banished her to where she lived now and Sharla carried that resentment for years and was constantly thinking about ways to get back at the queen.

'Of course, it had to be Aquarian National Day today,' she said bitterly,

'Bah, what a joke it is! It's nothing more than a shameless vanity production where those lowlifes of merfolk talk and show off about how great their kingdom is and how much they love their queen!

And don't get me started on that concert! Those little brats singing that sickly sweet song, praising how great they are and how much their dear little mummy loves them and gave them such lovely names!'

' _Ah, we are the daughters of Daisy,_ ' she sang in a mockingly sweet voice, _'Great mother who loves us and named us well!'_

'Uggh, it's enough to make anyone nauseous! And the little flowers those brats throw around so that the crowd can catch them? That's just so sickening and it makes you want to throw up!'

She then made mock-vomit noises, as she gathered up a plate of whimpering shrimp and sat back down on her throne, fuming as she picked up a poor little shrimp and ate it, with the others watching nervously, then squeaking in relief that it wasn't them but it wouldn't be long before they too were devoured.

'Look at this,' Sharla said, giving the shrimp a menacing look, as they cowered back in fear before another one was picked up, squeaking and whimpering at the creature, as if to say, 'Please don't eat me.'

'Look at what I am reduced to,' as she popped another shrimp in her mouth,

'Eating whimpering shrimp in this miserable place, whereas back in my days in the palace, I slept in the finest beds, attended the best parties and ate the finest foods that any sea creature would only dream of eating.

I could've been the ruler of that pathetic little kingdom instead of that flimsy flowerhead Daisy!

I make one little mistake and I pay for it by being banished, exiled, unfit to face polite society, never to show my face again, considered a threat to Aquaria and practically starving!' Sharla moaned.

'Wasting away to nothing while _she_ and her flimsy merfolk celebrate how wonderful they are and how great everything is in their kingdom!

Are you happy, Daisy? Are you happy knowing that I'm starving and miserable in this dump that you sent me to? You may have thought that you have exiled me away forever but soon I'll come back to Aquaria and I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!' Sharla shouted.

She then threw a starfish at a portrait of Daisy on the wall which had a crudely drawn moustache and beard on it and several starfish that Sharla had already thrown were lodged into it, like a dartboard.

Sharla had many things to be bitter about and being banished by Daisy was the main one.

She had sworn that she would get her revenge against her, but hadn't been able to since she didn't know her weakness until today and it was in the form of her youngest daughter.

'The party is well and truly over, Daisy, for you'll soon have _nothing_ to celebrate!' Sharla chuckled evilly.

'Teale! Neale! Get over here!' she called to her pets, two teal coloured eels, who were just as evil and malicious as she was but weren't exactly the brightest coral in the sea.

'You called, Mistress Sharla?' they said, slithering over to her, as she petted them.

'Yes, my precious pets, for I have found Daisy's weakness which is just the thing that I need for my long-awaited revenge on her,' Sharla said.

'I want you two to keep an eye on that pretty little daughter of hers,' as she pointed to the seeing bubble which still had Lily's image on it.

'Which daughter is it, Mistress Sharla?' Neale asked rather stupidly, 'Queen Daisy has seven pretty little daughters, which one of them do you want us to watch?'

'The youngest daughter, that's who, you dim-wit!' Sharla shouted, which made Neale flinch as he didn't like being yelled at.

'I'm sorry, poopsie,' she then said to Neale, petting him, 'I didn't mean to yell at you, it's just that Aquaria's national day always puts me in a bad mood and you didn't deserve that, although you are clearly not as bright as you think you are.'

'But why her?' Teale, the smarter of the two then said, 'why not the crown princess, since she is the eldest and heir to the throne of Aquaria? Why do you want the youngest daughter?'

'Because, Teale, she is her mummy's favourite,' Sharla said, 'which is why she may very well be the key to the downfall of Daisy.'

Sharla chuckled evilly, while Teale and Neale looked nervously at each other.

* * *

Lily knew that when she eventually got home, her mother would be furious at her for missing the concert and denying the kingdom the chance to see her debut and to hear her beautiful voice that they had waited for so long.

And she was right, although Daisy hadn't actually said anything yet, as Lily stood in front of her in the throne room of the palace.

She had many disappointed and angry eyes of the merpeople staring at her, as well as hearing muttered words and whispers when she had made it back to the kingdom and it made her feel ashamed and foolish, as she kept her head down, not wanting to look at her mother.

As if the kingdom's stares, silent anger and mutterings about her and the ruined concert weren't bad enough, she was soon about to face the reprimand of her mother and Senna about her behaviour today and her sisters would no doubt share the same feelings when she would inevitably face them.

Aurora was also proving to be no help at all as she cowered behind a corner rather than supporting her for fear of the queen's temper.

Lily may be her mother's favourite daughter, but even she wasn't immune to being reprimanded by her which didn't happen as often but today turned out to be one of those exceptions.

At first there was an uncomfortable silence which made the atmosphere so thick that not even the sharpest of knives could cut it, as Lily's tail twitched nervously while she was thinking of what she was going to say to her mother and explain why she had unintentionally missed the concert.

Eventually, Daisy broke the silence as she took a sharp breath while remaining calm, cool and collected as usual, although her anger was raging inside her and said,

'I don't know what else we're going to do with you, young lady,' while pinching the bridge of her nose as Senna peeked out from her crown, staring angrily at Lily.

'Mum, I'm…' Lily said, but Daisy cut her off.

'As a princess of Aquaria, you knew that today was an important day in our kingdom and that you were expected to sing in the concert like your sisters do and all the princesses have done before you.

The entire kingdom was really looking forward to hearing you sing in your musical debut, it was all they had been talking about for weeks and it's what they only get to hear once a year.

After years of begging me to let you take part in the concert and when you finally get the chance to do so, you don't even turn up! Why did you do that, Lily? What was so important that made you miss it?' Daisy said.

'Mum, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to,' Lily said, 'I really wanted to be there today but I totally forgot about it, okay? It was a complete accident but you're acting like I did it on purpose!'

'That's because you did!' Senna said, adding her two cents before Daisy shushed her.

'I'll deal with this, Senna, thank you,' said Daisy, 'I honestly believed that this was going to be the best national day concert in our proud history, but as a result of your careless and reckless behaviour..'

'Your very careless and reckless behaviour, might I add!' Senna said, chiming in and she was clearly angry at the young mermaid for nearly wrecking her career and ruining the kingdom's celebration.

'The whole concert was..how can I describe it?' said Daisy.

'It was completely ruined!' Senna said, 'This was to be the most important concert in my distinguished career and the finest one in Aquaria's history.

I was hoping to impress the high society of my fellow crabs and music lovers, but thanks to you, my career nearly came to an end, my reputation is hanging on by a thread, I'm in your mother's bad books and I'm now the laughing stock of all of Aquaria!

I don't think that I'll be able to show my face in public for months because of that fiasco! And not only that, you hung your poor sisters out to dry on the stage and they were on the receiving end of the audience's disgust by having their flowers thrown at them! I bet that they will have a few words to say when they see you!

What do you have to say for yourself, Lily?' said Senna.

'Senna, please stop yelling at her!' Aurora said, having finally decided that she was fed up with the crab scolding her friend and wanted to defend her, 'it wasn't her fault!'

Realising that she was in the presence of the queen, Aurora shook nervously as her new-found confidence had gone as quickly as it came and with the queen and Senna looking expectantly at her, she knew she had to give them answers.

'Is there something that you would like to tell us, Aurora?' said Daisy. Knowing better than to not answer the queen, Aurora cleared her throat and said, or rather stuttered,

'You see, we were exploring, yeah..that's it and..it was fine until..this really mean and scary shark chased us. It was really hungry and we thought we would be its dinner..'

Aurora growled as she did a very poor imitation of the shark but it was enough to convince Daisy and Senna as they looked at each other, while Lily was signalling to her to keep quiet but Aurora kept talking, giving them far more information than she was supposed to.

'And we managed to get away, but then we went to see the seagull and she was like 'this is this and that is that' and…'

Realising what she just said, Aurora gasped and put her fin over her mouth as Lily stared at her but it was too late as the fish had unintentionally told the queen everything and she was smart enough to come to one conclusion.

'A seagull,' Daisy said, trying to remain calm,

'If you managed to see one, that must mean…you went up to the surface again, didn't you, Lily?' as her barely contained anger was starting to show, which was sensed by Senna, as she shook in fear while Aurora hid behind Lily.

'Oh, no, here we go again,' she said.

'Tell me the truth!' Daisy practically shouted, her anger finally erupting in spite of her best efforts to control it.

'Mum, chill out, everything was fine,' said Lily, 'Yes, I did go up there but I was very careful and I managed not to be seen. Nothing happened to me and I came back home safe and sound.'

'Don't get smart with me, missy,' said Daisy.

'If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, the surface is forbidden for a very good reason and that you weren't to go up there! You could've have been seen or killed by one of those..barbarians! Those things…those h..hu…hu..'

'Humans, Your Majesty,' said Senna.

'Yes, _humans,'_ Daisy said, like it was a disgusting swear word.

* * *

Although Daisy was the ruler of Aquaria and had control over the entire ocean, the human world was out of her reach and it was one that she mistrusted and considered dangerous and hostile to merpeople.

Ever since the death of her husband Hollis who had been also known as Holley, at the hands of modern-day pirates, Daisy abhorred humans and their artefacts and forbade any one to go up on the surface or make contact with humans or have any of their objects in the kingdom.

The pain of losing her beloved Holley and Aquaria's well-loved king consort had been too much to bear for the queen and she did not want to lose Lily or any of her other daughters to humans.

But Lily didn't see it that way.

'Mum, how can you think that?' Lily said, 'Not all humans are barbarians, you know, there are many that are gentle, kind and loving. They wouldn't dare hurt us, if only you would give us the chance to know them.'

'Don't be ridiculous, Lily!' Daisy shouted, 'How can those barbarians have even one shred of kindness in them if they do the things they do to sea life here?

They are very dangerous and the ones that called themselves 'pirates' took your father away from me! Poseidon forbid that I want to see my youngest daughter face the same fate or being snared by some fish-eater's hook!'

'Mum, leave Daddy out of this!' shouted Lily, 'and I'm sixteen years old, I'm not a little child anymore, I should be allowed to do what I want! If you wouldn't be so ignorant and actually listen to me…'

'Don't you raise your voice to me, young lady!' shouted Daisy, 'You're still a child and as long as you live in my ocean, you will obey my rules and you are NEVER to go back to the surface again! Do I make myself clear?'

'Yes, Mum, I won't go near the surface again,' Lily said, somewhat insincerely but Daisy didn't notice.

'This is your last chance to straighten up and be the proper princess that you are so don't mess it up again,' Daisy said, now calm, 'now, I believe that you have some sisters to apologise to, don't you?'

Lily nodded and swam away disappointedly with Aurora faithfully following her, while Queen Daisy slumped back on her throne, sighing heavily.

'Oh, Lily,' she said, 'as much as I love her, she can be quite a handful sometimes.'

'I couldn't agree more, Your Majesty,' Senna said, standing on one of the armrests,

'But that's teenagers for you. They believe that they should be independent and free without their parents' rules and restrictions. You give them an inch and they'll swim all over you, queen or not!'

'Senna, do you think that I was too hard on Lily?' Daisy then asked,

'I mean, it's not often that I have to reprimand her and I did try my best to be calm and collected like I always am, but you know that my anger gets the best of me sometimes. Was I right in disciplining her?'

'Of course you were, Your Majesty, you had every right to lay down the law and tell her that you weren't going to stand for any of her nonsense!' Senna said,

'It does not make you a bad parent, children need rules and discipline and you weren't too hard on her at all!

Hopefully that would've made her come to her senses and get these silly ideas about humans out of her head! Because if I had been in your fins, Your Majesty, I would've done the same thing!

Yes indeed, if Lily was my daughter, I would lay down the law myself and show her who the boss around here is!

There would be no talk about humans and flitting off to the surface and other silly bollocks, that's for sure! I would keep a close watch on her and under the tightest control ever!'

That had got Daisy thinking, as she ran her fingers through her hair and she smiled at the crab.

'You know, Senna, what you have said is very true. Lily does indeed require someone to watch over her, to keep her safe and out of trouble,' she said.

'Absolutely, Your Majesty, you're not wrong there,' said Senna, grinning.

'Lily needs constant supervision at all times and someone to keep her on the straight and narrow and protect her from any harm when I or any of her sisters are not around to do so,' Daisy said.

'Every single day,' replied Senna.

'And who better to do it than you, Senna?' said Daisy, poking the crab in her soft stomach, 'you are the perfect crab to do this very important job of looking after Lily!'

'Yes, Your Majesty, I am the perfect crab…wait, what? You're asking me to play nursemaid to Lily? Surely you can't be serious?' Senna said, in surprise and dismay.

* * *

She was the court composer, for Poseidon's sake, not a nursemaid for a troublemaking teenager! Why did she have to open her big mouth and tell the queen what she wanted to hear? Why couldn't she had stayed silent and not talk up what she couldn't do?

She had wanted to suck the offer right back in her mouth, or at least tell Daisy that she was joking or hoped that the queen wouldn't take it to heart but by looking at the queen's face, she had indeed taken her seriously, which made Senna groan.

 _Oh, she has,_ she thought miserably to herself, _me and my big gob, why couldn't I just keep quiet?_

'Of course I am, Senna, you yourself had said that you would keep a close watch on Lily and supervise her at all times, did you not? You can't go back on your word now,' said Daisy.

Senna wanted to protest, but she knew better than to disobey the queen and with the crab already in her bad books about the concert and with the now little reputation she had left, this would be a perfect opportunity to win back her favour and restore her dignity.

Not only that, it would help her to keep Lily in line and to discourage her from going up from the surface again and there was nothing more than Senna wanted was to please the queen and to be in her good books again.

'Alright, Your Majesty, I will do it,' Senna said, as the queen smiled at her, 'I will make sure that Lily will stay out of trouble and supervise her at all times and she'll be a good little mer-princess and forget all about humans and going up to the surface again.

You can trust me on this, Your Majesty, I won't let you down,' as the little crab grinned at her, hoping that she would buy it, which she did.

'I hope so, Senna, I am putting my deepest and greatest trust in you,' said Queen Daisy, as Senna left the throne room.

 _I hope so too, Your Majesty,_ Senna thought as she swam down the palace halls, while thinking about the predicament that she had gotten herself into.

By now, she should have been composing her latest piece and thinking about how she was going to restore her good name, not boasting about how she would be a good nursemaid to a mischievous mer-princess, who had landed her into all this trouble.

'Why do I get myself into these situations?' she said, 'I just hope that Lily makes my job easy for me, then I can get back to composing and forget about this terrible day!'

No sooner had she said it, she looked out the window and saw that Lily and Aurora were looking to the left and to the right, to make sure that they weren't being watched and then left the palace, with Lily clutching her treasure bag close to her.

They seemed to be swimming off to Poseidon knows where and Senna realised that she had been way over in her head by agreeing to this difficult task.

'Spoke too soon,' Senna said as she sighed heavily and dutifully swam towards them.

* * *

 _Oooh, touchy much, Daisy? And Sharla? Well, this modern-day Ursula is clearly up to no good and Senna has her work cut out for her with Lily!_

 _At least by now you know why Sharla wants revenge against Daisy and why Daisy hates humans._

 _Read and review and thank you to those who have done so! :)_


	4. Part of Your World

Lily was relieved to have gotten away from the palace after the day she had, which ended with her being on the receiving end of her sisters' displeasure about the concert, and she and Aurora were now heading towards their secret grotto, where they stored all the human treasures that they had collected on their adventures.

It was where Lily felt most at home, since it gave her the privacy that she didn't have at the palace since she shared a room with all of her sisters and where she could keep her treasures safe and only she and Aurora knew about the grotto and they had managed to keep it a secret.

But now, someone else was about to find out about it and it was the little pale red crab who had followed them and was now resting on a rock, trying to catch her breath as Lily pushed the boulder that covered the entrance and she and Aurora slipped inside, which did not go unnoticed by Senna, as the familiar flash of Lily's pink tail caught her eye.

'What is that girl up to?' Senna said, swimming towards the grotto just as the boulder was closing in, 'is she deliberately making my job more difficult than it already is?'

Charging towards the fast-shrinking gap, Senna only just managed to get in but her claw was trapped by the boulder.

The little crab grunted and struggled to free it, muttering several words that a crab of her status was not supposed to know before she finally got her claw free but that made her tumble down onto the ground.

She then landed behind a ragdoll, which was one of the many human artefacts that Lily had in her grotto and that made Senna gasp at seeing the things that the queen hated the most and what her daughter had been collecting behind her back.

'Blooming heck, I'm crab cakes when the queen hears about this!' Senna muttered as she stayed hidden behind the ragdoll, watching Lily as she placed the cricket bat, ball and rugby ball on one of the stone and coral shelves that made up the grotto and held all her treasures.

* * *

From antiques that she had found in shipwrecks before her time to modern day items that humans had dropped into the ocean or left on the surface, they were in Lily's collection and although she liked them all, her most favourite was an antique porcelain statue of two people, a red-haired woman and a black-haired man dancing together.

It also played a lovely musical tune when the key was turned, which was still possible in spite of its age and being underwater and Lily gently picked up the statue and turned the key, hearing the lovely melody play while she looked wistfully at the words engraved on the base,

 _Part of your world._

She then sighed sadly as she put the statue down and lay down on a rock that had a candelabra lying near it, with a spoon and knife in two of its three holders and she twiddled the fork in her hands.

Aurora looked at her friend with worried blue eyes, as she saw her looking sadly at the fork with the tune from the statue still playing around the grotto.

Something was bothering her and she knew it, it had something to do with being told off by her mother.

'Lily, what's wrong?' Aurora asked, swimming over to Lily as she placed the fork in the middle of the candelabra,

'Why are you so sad? We've gathered so many great treasures today and Sandy explained them to you and we had a great adventure, well, apart from nearly being shark food and your mum telling you off..'

'Lily,' she then said, as Lily looked up at her, 'why does your mum hate humans so much? Is it because she's afraid of them? Or is it…because of your dad?'

'Yes, Aurora, it is,' said Lily, 'Mum hates humans because..they took Daddy away from her when I was little. I remember it well, they were so in love and she smiled a lot and she was really happy, we all were.

Even Fern was happy, she wasn't always moody and withdrawn like she is now and I adored Daddy since we were so alike and everyone had said that I was the coral of his eye. Everything was fine until..'

'What happened to him, Lily?' Aurora said. Lily blinked back a few tears, as the memory of the terrible day came back to her and said,

'When I was five years old, me, Mum, Daddy and my sisters were up on the surface with some of the merfolk, watching the sunset and playing music to celebrate my parents' wedding anniversary.

Daddy gave Mum a music box which is one of her most precious possessions and still has it with her and he also rode me and my sisters on his back in the water and tossed me up and down, catching me playfully.

I remember it being one of the best days of my life until all of a sudden, a ship appeared and these humans that called themselves 'pirates' came and stole all of the instruments and treasures we had.

They then tried to catch us with their nets but Mum and Daddy told us to go back down so that we could be safe, which they did but just when I was going to, I got my tail caught on a rock and I couldn't pull it out just as the pirates were coming.'

Lily took a deep breath as she continued speaking,

'I was screaming and struggling to get myself free and Daddy came back and freed me just in time and he told me to go back to Mum and my sisters so that we could be safe and not to worry about him, as long as I could get away.

I didn't want to leave him, but he insisted and told me he loved me before I dove back in.

I hoped that he would be following me when I was in the water but the ship rammed into the rock where he was and..he wasn't able to escape in time,' Lily said, as tears fell down her face and Aurora nuzzled herself against her, also saddened by the tale.

'I'm so sorry, Lily,' she whispered.

Senna was misty-eyed herself when she heard about that terrible day from her hiding place as she had been good friends with Holley and knew how devastating his death was to Daisy, her family and the kingdom.

'So that's why she hates humans,' Aurora said, 'because they took your father, your mother's husband and the king of Aquaria away from you, your family and the kingdom. That must have horrible and sad for her.'

'It was,' Lily said, 'and that's why we're not allowed to go to the surface or have anything to do with humans since Daddy died. But she just doesn't see things the way I do, I know that not all humans are bad.

How can they be when they make these wonderful things?' she said, swimming up to a shelf and picking up a coin pouch which had the words _'Caution, I'm actually a mermaid,_ ' on the front and a picture of two mermaids at the back.

'Like this thing,' she said, showing the pouch to Aurora, who giggled when she read the words.

'That's really funny, Lily!' she said, 'and also really handy to have around if any mean and scary creatures try to get us!'

'Yes, that is possible and humans must really love merpeople if they have us on some of their things, so why would their wonderful world be so bad?' Lily said.

* * *

The music from the statue then stopped and Lily wound up the key again, as she sang with the beautiful voice that she was famous for and what the kingdom had been denied at the concert, and what came from her heart,

' _Look at this stuff, isn't it neat?'_ she sang as she swam around the grotto, running her finger across her treasures, _'Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?_

 _Wouldn't you think I'm the girl..the girl who has everything?_

 _Look at this trove, treasures untold_

 _How many wonders can one cavern hold?_

 _Looking around here you'd think, 'Sure, she's got everything!'_

'You sure do!' Aurora giggled as Lily floated above the ground and held some of the items in her hands,

' _I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty,'_ she sang, _'I've got whozits and whatzits galore,'_

She then picked up a box and opened it, which had a large amount of keychains with various human things dangling from the bottom and showed them to Aurora, who seemed very interested in one that had a donut on it.

' _You want thingabobs? I've got twenty!'_ Lily sang.

'Ooooh, look at that one, Lily!' Aurora said, 'It's a donut!'

'Yes, but I don't think it's edible, Aurora,' Lily laughed, 'and besides, it's not the seaweed ones you love so much, it's one that humans seem to like, not that I've tried one but I'm sure it's just as good as seaweed.'

'Nothing is as good as a seaweed donut,' said Aurora, pouting as Lily chuckled at her and closed the box, placing it back where it came from and sang again, her voice as lovely as ever but more wistful,

 _'_ _But who cares?'_ she sang, ' _No big deal, I want more!'_ and she looked up at the ceiling of the grotto, at the surface to the world she wanted to be a part of.

' _I wanna be where the people are,'_ she sang wistfully,

 _'_ _I wanna see, see them dancing!'_ and floated down to the statue that was still playing the tune that seemed to be going with the song and twirled it around, looking at the two people's feet,

' _Walking around on those…what do you call them?'_ Lily sang, as Aurora wiggled her tail fin and she smiled at her friend.

'Oh, feet!' Lily said, giggling.

 _'_ _Flipping your fins, you don't get too far,'_ she then sang, swimming around the grotto,

 _Legs are required for jumping, dancing._

 _Strolling along down a..what's that word again?_

 _Street_

 _I want to go where the people go_

 _All the wonderful places Sandy told me about_

 _Blissbane, Seednay and Melly Burn_

 _They have so much there to see and learn_

Swimming up to the ceiling where a light from the surface was shining down into the grotto, Lily sang,

 _Up where they walk, up where they run_

 _Up where they stay all day in the sun!_

 _Wandering free, wish I could be_

 _Part of that world._

Lily floated back down to the ground and lay on the sandy floor, as Senna was swimming around, having heard her singing and wanted to put a stop to all this nonsense only to get trapped in a beer mug and for it to roll down onto the ground.

' _What would I give if I could live out of these waters?'_ Lily sang, as she lay down and closed her eyes, singing even more beautifully and her desires clearer than ever,

 _What would I pay, to spend a day warm on the sand?_

 _Betcha on land, they understand_

 _Bet they don't get reprimanded by mothers_

 _I'm a bright young woman and I'm sick of swimming_

 _And I'm ready to stand!_

Lily pushed herself off the ground and swam over to a shelf that contained books, pulled one out and opened it to show Aurora, who looked at it with confusion and interest.

' _I'm ready to know what the people know,'_ Lily sang, now practically shouting every word her incredible and beautiful singing voice produced,

' _I want to ask them my questions and get their answers!'_

In her book, she pointed to a picture of a bushfire, which she had never heard of and wanted to know more about and sang,

 _Like what is a fire and why does it..what's the word? Burn?_

 _When's it my turn?_

 _Wouldn't I love.. love to explore that shore up above?_

Lily's voice softened and swam down to the rock she was lying on before and sat on it as Aurora came floating by her, as she sang the last few words of her song,

 _Out of the sea, wish I..could be_

 _Part of that world._

* * *

The music from the statue finished playing and Lily twirled it around again, as she sighed, wishing that her dream would soon be a reality and that she would be part of the human world, like the words on the statue.

'One day, Aurora, I will be part of that world,' Lily said, wistfully as she twirled the statue around, 'like the statue says for these humans here.'

'Not if I have anything to do with it!' Senna said, swimming out of the beer mug and towards Lily, wagging her claw in displeasure at her,

'You'll be doing no such thing, young lady, not on my watch!' she said.

'Senna!' Lily said in surprise when she saw the crab in front of her.

She was also annoyed that she seemed to be acting like her babysitter and had stumbled in on her grotto and it would be difficult for her to keep quiet about it, since it was not in Senna's nature to do so.

'What are you doing here? Did you follow me?' Lily then said, frowning at the crab.

'Don't get smart with me, young lady!' Senna scolded, still wagging her claw,

'I followed you here because your mother has assigned me to keep a constant eye on you and to keep you out of trouble at all times and you seem to be making it difficult for me by sneaking off again!

And why in Poseidon's name do you have all these ghastly items in this place?' as she looked at all the treasures on the shelves.

'It's just my collection, that's all,' Lily said innocently like it was no big deal, 'all the treasures that I have collected on my adventures and keep in my grotto and what Mum doesn't know won't hurt her, right?'

'Oh, I see,' Senna said, trying to remain calm,

'Your collection, huh? Your collection of human artefacts…the very things that your mother abhors… and you have been collecting them behind her back… in this secret grotto that she doesn't know about…

IF YOUR MOTHER WERE TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS, SHE WILL…' she then yelled,

'You won't tell her, will you Senna?' Aurora said, 'because you have a tendency to have loose lips and they have landed you in trouble before!'

'Oh, please Senna, promise me that you won't tell Mum!' Lily pleaded, 'She won't understand, not after everything that we went through today!'

'Oh, Lily, Lily, Lily,' said Senna, shaking her head.

'You poor child, I think that you're still upset about being reprimanded by your mother and sisters and it's messing with your head. You're not thinking straight and the pressure of being a princess is getting to you, so you came here to get away from it all.

Tell you what, I'll take you home and put you into bed and I'll give you some of that coral blossom tea that you love so much. Yes, a good night's sleep and a cup of warm, sweet tea is all you need.

We'll all feel much better in the morning and you'll soon forget about all this nonsense about humans and if you keep behaving yourself, I promise that I won't tell your mother about the grotto and your collection of human things.

She'll be happy, you'll be happy, we're all be happy and I won't be crab cakes!' Senna said, taking Lily's hand to lead her out of the grotto and back to the palace.

But the mermaid was not willing to cooperate and was soon distracted by a large, whale-like shape that was passing by, blocking out the light in the grotto and making a low-rumbling noise.

Lights from the surface were shining like jewels on the water and Lily was soon dazzled by them as well as the dark shape and she was determined to see what it was, while Aurora shook at seeing it.

'Lily, what is that huge thing that is up on the surface and has made everything so dark?' she said, 'and what are those lights that are shining through the water?'

'I don't know, Aurora, but the shape doesn't seem to be a whale since it doesn't have any fins or a tail and isn't making the noises a whale usually makes,' Lily said,

'But I'm going to check it out!' she then said as she started to swim out of the grotto, only for be held back by Senna, who had grabbed her wrist and was urging her to come away from the ceiling.

'Oh no, you're not!' she said, 'the only checking out you're going to be doing is out of this grotto! You're coming home with me this instant and I don't want any silly arguments about it, young lady!'

But Lily ignored her and slipped out of her grasp, and with Aurora following her as she always did, she swam out of the grotto and towards the surface to where the large shape and bright lights were with Senna's protests falling on deaf ears.

'Blooming heck, at the rate I'm going, I'll soon be heading towards an early grave!' she said, sighing heavily as she had no choice but to follow the young mermaid to the surface, which she did very reluctantly.

* * *

 _So there you go, my own version of the song 'Part of Your World' with an extra verse that I added and shorter scenes, as advised by the reviewer theBritCrit, since she felt that the ones in the previous chapter were too long, so I hope that helps the story!_

 _Next chapter, Lily meets Ben for the first time at his party on the yacht and you can imagine how that is going to end!_

 _Read and review and a special shout out to theBritCrit and Dawn to Dusk Makes a Day for their reviews and advice!_

 _I don't own 'Part of Your World,' and the Little Mermaid and extra points if you can guess who the people on the statue are!_


	5. A Birthday on the Sea

A clear night sky greeted Lily when she emerged from the water and pushed her hair out of her eyes as she stared in awe at the huge luxury yacht that was in the distance, with the lights she had seen and the sounds of loud music and laughter were echoing in the sky.

Lily giggled happily as she looked at the yacht and wondered if the laughter she was hearing was coming from humans that may be on board.

If they were, she could see for herself that they were not the fish-eating and dangerous barbarians that her mother made them out to be and that they were truly kind and caring like she believed them to be.

'Lily, what are you doing, child?' Senna said when she and Aurora surfaced and saw Lily dive back into the ocean before swimming towards the yacht, ignoring the crab calling out to her, like she had done many times.

'Come back here this instant! I've had just about enough of your shenanigans tonight…' she said, only to pause mid-sentence when she saw the large white yacht, the one that Lily was heading towards and gasped at it.

'Jumping jellyfish!' she said.

'So that's the whale-like shape we saw,' said Aurora, 'it's a huge ship and Lily's swimming towards it! Or…it could be something else, I don't know but Lily seems to be keen to approach it.'

'Then we better follow her..again,' Senna said, sighing, 'that girl is certainly enjoying shattering my already tattered nerves. Come on, let's not be dilly-dallying around if we're to get her home before the queen finds out about this little escapade.'

Senna and Aurora swan through the rippling waves that Lily was making, only to be pushed back as the mermaid reached the yacht and managed to climb up the side while holding onto the railings and found a ledge to sit on.

Looking at the deck of the yacht from a safe distance so that she wouldn't be seen, Lily had found the source of all the music and laughter that she heard earlier and she stared in silent amazement and fascination.

* * *

There were a large group of humans standing around laughing and dancing along to the music, which was coming from speakers with a smartphone sitting on top of it and a group of young humans, three girls and four boys were drinking, dancing quite badly and laughing, while two men stood against the railings watching them.

The group then huddled together, with one of the girls holding a smartphone that was like the one on the speakers and was about to take a picture of everyone, apparently not needing someone to do it for them.

'Selfie!' she said and the group flashed silly grins, holding up the bottles that they were drinking out of, 'Everyone say, 'Queensland rules, New South Wales drools!'

'Queensland rules, New South Wales drools!' the rest of the group said and the flash went off when the girl pushed the button on the phone, with some of them making silly faces.

Lily giggled quietly as it reminded her of Daffodil, who always ruined family portraits by flashing goofy and silly smiles to the chagrin of her mother and the palace artist.

'Yeah, down with the Blues! Up with the Maroons!' the boys chanted, clearly feeling the effects of the alcohol.

'We're gonna win State of O this year and get our revenge against those dirty cockroaches who ended our long winning streak last year!' they said.

'The roaches suck!' one of them said, 'they shouldn't have won!'

'That's typical of you blokes,' the girl who took the photo said, rolling her eyes at the boys.

'We're here to celebrate our best friend Ben's birthday and all you're talking about is stupid footy! The season hasn't even started yet and State of Origin is months away!'

'That's what we do, Anna,' the boy said, 'and if you don't like it, that's tough!' while Anna scowled at him.

'Hey, Steely, do you think that the Broncos will win the Premiership this year?' another boy said to a balding, tubby man with a moustache on his face, 'and that the Maroons will win back State of O from the Blues?'

'I think so, Adam, I truly believe that this will be the Broncos' year,' Phil said, 'we will win the NRL and the Maroons will take back what is rightfully theirs. I know that the Blues ended our winning streak last year but we will rise again.'

'Of course, Steely, that's why you're the coach!' said Adam, grinning and the party kept on going, with many more drinks being passed around, music being played and people dancing, not noticing that a mermaid was watching them, fascinated by what she had seen.

Although Lily had no idea about what the humans were talking about nor had any knowledge about the strange devices that they were using, she knew at once that they were definitely not the dangerous barbarians that her mother made them out to be.

 _Mum was wrong; I knew that humans are kind and decent folk, especially these ones, they seem like they have a good time every day if they have parties on the sea like this. That must mean that they love the sea just as much as we merfolk do,_ she thought.

Then a Blenheim-coloured Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, not that Lily knew what it was of course, who was running around on the deck, barking happily and sniffing the air, picked up Lily's scent and saw her sitting on the yacht's ledge.

Eager to see the strange girl, the dog quickly made her way to the ledge where Lily was, who looked at the furry land creature in fear and ducked her head to avoid being discovered, but a few seconds later, she slowly rose up to see the dog peeking over the ledge, panting happily and licking her cheek.

'Hey, that tickles!' Lily said, laughing. The dog was very friendly and seemed to like the mermaid immediately as she kept licking her cheek.

'You sure are friendly!' said Lily, patting the dog's head, which increased its affections for her even more by licking her, which was its way of saying 'I really like you!'

'Ruby!' a young man's voice, which Lily hadn't heard before as it didn't belong to any of the other boys, a cheerful, upbeat voice with a strange yet enchanting accent, called to the dog.

'Ruby, come here girl!' the voice called again and Ruby, as the dog was known, turned around again, barking happily and ran to her owner.

* * *

Lily looked at the deck to see who had called the furry land creature and almost immediately, she was attracted to the handsome young man who was the dog's owner and was sitting on a chair, away from the others.

'What were you doing over there, girl? What got you excited all of a sudden?' the boy said to the dog, as he petted her and she licked his face while Lily kept staring and gasped softly at him.

'He has the same colour hair as me,' she whispered, as she noticed his blonde hair, the same shade as hers, only darker, 'and blue eyes, just like mine,'

The young man was also very well-built, with tanned skin and was wearing a navy-blue short-sleeved shirt with white patterns on it and brown pants and shoes.

Looking at the boy, Lily was feeling the same way as her sister Violet did whenever she was in love and she was fast falling in love with the boy, in spite of not knowing him unlike Violet who was rather lax when it came to boys and discarded a boyfriend when she got bored of him or if he didn't please her.

'The first human I have ever seen up close and he is the most gentle, kind and handsome one I have met,' Lily said to herself, watching the boy.

'I don't see why Mum would think he's dangerous, especially since he really loves animals and being out on the sea. Why would such a handsome and loving human be a barbarian?'

'Come on, Ruby,' the boy laughed and stroked the dog's head,

'Good girl, good girl,' he said before Ruby jumped out of his arms and his friends came towards him, holding a pack of cans with a ribbon tied around it and an envelope poking out of it.

'Happy b'day, Ben, mate,' Adam said, 'here's a little pressie from us! A pack of XXXX, the best beer in Queensland! None of that Victoria Bitter crap, that's what the roaches drink and have on their jerseys!

Go ahead; the birthday boy has the first drink!'

'Thanks mate,' Ben said, taking the envelope and opened it, chuckling at the card before opening one of the cans and sipping from it.

'Now you can drink legally instead of sitting on the side-lines, drinking Coke like you did at schoolies last year!' Cody, one of the boys, said.

'I was underage!' Ben said, rolling his eyes.

Lily giggled and smiled at herself, just as Sandy came up behind her and put her wing on her shoulder.

'Hey there, sweetie!' she said rather loudly, 'quite a party, huh? The Goldie Coast is famous for its swinging nightlife and parties and it looks like these humans know how to have a good time!'

'Sandy, be quiet!' Lily hissed, noticing the seagull behind her, which was hard not to since Sandy's voice was like a foghorn and that was the last thing she needed.

'They'll hear you!' she then said as the seagull flew down to sit next to her.

'Oh, right, I get you,' Sandy said, louder than before, 'we're here to discover and to learn more about..' but Lily grabbed her beak before she could finish speaking.

'Sandy, look at this human,' Lily said, tilting her head towards Ben, who was talking to his father.

'Isn't he handsome?' she said, sighing dreamily, 'I've never seen a human up this close before and yet, he has stolen my heart.'

But Sandy wasn't paying attention, looking at Phil who was smoking a pipe, rather than at Ben and she frowned at the man, hardly believing that Lily would be in love with him!

'The one with the snarfblatt? Oh, sweetie, you must have an odd taste in men, if that one has made you go all ga-ga!

I mean, look at him, he's old, bald, fat and has a hairy thing on his face! Surely, there must be better looking humans than that lardo!' she said.

'No, not that one!' Lily laughed.

'I meant the boy next to him, the one with the blonde hair and blue eyes, like I have and who has the furry land creature who came up to me,' as she turned Sandy's head towards Ben and Ruby.

'Oh, I see,' said Sandy, chuckling in embarrassment, 'I totally misunderstood you. He is quite the dreamboat, isn't he?'

'Yes, he certainly is,' Lily said, dreamily as she stared at Ben again, never taking her eyes off him.

* * *

After a while, the music stopped and Phil whistled to get everyone's attention, for it was the time for the speeches and the partygoers gathered around, with Ben sitting next to his father, with Ruby lying down beside him as Phil began his speech,

'Now, I'd like to thank you all for coming to Ben's eighteenth birthday tonight on board the _Lara,_ which, as you all know, was named after his mother, on this calm and still night, although it would've more appropriate to have it at the local footy club…

Anyway, Benjamin Phillip Steele, you were born into one of Queensland and Australia's greatest rugby league dynasties and long may it continue..' Phil said, while Ben rolled his eyes but quickly hid it.

'I know that you haven't had the easiest times when you were growing up, losing your mother at a young age and I also know that I haven't been around a lot due to my career, but I just want to say, that I've always been proud of you, mate.

And if your mother were here today, she would be also be proud and you have many achievements that you had worked hard for, such as gaining excellent marks in school and being the sports captain at Southport and going to study business at Bond University next month…'

'Dad, you're rambling on again,' Ben said.

'Yes, Phil, we better wrap this up, so that you can give him his special present.' Des said.

'Right, of course,' said Phil, 'Ben, to commemorate your birthday, I have got you a very special and a very expensive present,' as some of the yacht's crew carried a large-shaped object onto the deck while the crowd applauded.

'Oh, Dad, you didn't have to do that!' Ben said, chuckling.

'I already have the inheritance money from Mum, the maroon Lexus convertible we picked out last week, the beer from the boys and the presents from the girls and Des, so I really don't need another one.'

'I know, but I wanted to,' Phil said, 'it's my way to make up for all my absences over the years and while cars and money come and go, this will last a lifetime and I hope that you will treasure it forever.

Happy 18th birthday, Ben,' he said as he signalled to Des to unwrap the large present.

'Aw, Dad, you shouldn't have!' Ben said, before the wrapping came off to reveal a portrait of Ben wearing a Maroons jersey with the Broncos and Kangaroos jerseys draped over his left arm and holding a rugby league ball in his hand and it was set in the backdrop of Suncorp Stadium.

'I mean you really shouldn't have,' Ben muttered under his breath, clearly unimpressed with the portrait but did his best to show his gratitude while Phil grinned proudly at it.

Des, however, rolled his eyes at the over-the-top gift, Ben's friends laughed out loud and Ruby growled at it, not even bothering to hide their unfavourable opinions.

'Nice portrait, Ben!' Cody laughed.

'Well, what do you think, Ben?' Phil said, anticipating his son's response, 'isn't this the most magnificent portrait you have seen? Very lifelike, isn't it?'

'Um, thanks, Dad, I um…like it.' Ben said, faltering.

'It's brilliant, Phil,' Des said, then to Ben he muttered, 'No, I agree, it is a bit too much,'

'I'm glad that you like it, Ben,' Phil said, 'I had a professional sports artist paint it for you. It was originally going to be a bronze statue like the one they have of me outside of Suncorp but I thought a portrait would be better.

Of course, I had also hoped that it would be a _wedding_ present, in the fairly distant future,' he said and Ben rolled his eyes, thinking _here we go again,_ for a sensitive subject between father and son was about to be brought up.

'Dad, I've only just turned eighteen! I can't be thinking of marriage just yet, I 've got my whole life ahead of me, I want to be free for a while, go to uni, get a job, surf and hang out with my mates…'

'Wait a minute,' he then said, realising something,

'Is this because you're _still_ sore that I didn't have a girlfriend throughout high school or that Mia and I went to the formal as friends?' tilting his head towards a blonde-haired girl who smiled shyly at him.

'Yes, I always thought that you would be a couple. As well as me, our whole circle of friends would like to see you settle down with a nice girl and why on earth did you go to the formal with Mia as friends?' Phil said.

'We decided that we didn't work as a couple and that we were better off being friends,' Ben said, as Mia nodded in agreement, 'the same goes for Anna and Grace and that's the way it's always been.'

'Why do you need more friends?' Phil said, 'you've got plenty of friends but no girlfriend!'

'Phil, leave him alone!' Des said, 'anyway, it's not like you were around, so why should you be interested in your son's love life or rather lack of one?

If he doesn't want to find a girl and get married, he doesn't have to and it's not because he went to an all-boys' school! No offense, Ben, mate,'

'None taken, Des,' Ben said, 'and the right girl for me is out there somewhere. I just haven't found her yet,' as he sighed, not realising that 'she' was literally under his nose on the ledge of the yacht.

'Maybe you haven't been looking hard enough,' said Phil.

'Dad, trust me, I will know when I find her and if I do, she'll suddenly appear like a thunderstorm when you least expect it!' Ben said, snapping his fingers.

No sooner as he said it, the calmness of the night soon gave way to a stormy sky and a flash of lightning appeared, accompanied by a rumble of thunder.

'Wow Ben, you're better at predicting the weather that the weatherman on TV!' said Adam, 'looks like a nasty storm is coming.'

'We better get to shore before it gets really rough,' Des said, which made everyone become aware that the party was now over and that they needed to get to shore before they would get caught in the storm.


	6. A Fierce Storm and Rescue

The yacht's crew and the men soon sprang into action, passing out lifejackets and warm clothing to the guests while Ruby barked fearfully and the girls ran around the deck, screaming, panicking and grabbing their things as the storm got stronger with loud thunder and fierce howling winds and heavy rains were lashing both the yacht and the partygoers.

'Stay calm, everyone!' Phil shouted over the deafening sound of the thunder and the bright lightning which made the girls scream again as they shivered in their thin dresses which were already drenched by the rain before putting on the warm clothing and their lifejackets.

He and Ben ran towards Tony, who was the captain of the yacht and was desperately trying to start it but was finding it difficult as the engine was stalling and the wind was whipping fiercely against the yacht.

'Have you got it started yet, Tony?' Phil said, 'the storm's really coming in now and we need to get to the harbour as soon as possible!'

'She's a cactus, mate!' Tony said in dismay, 'her engine is completely buggered! We may not make it back by ourselves, I'll have to send a mayday signal!' grabbing the radio and tuning it to find the channel.

'I knew we should've had the party at the local footy club,' Phil muttered to himself, 'then we wouldn't be stuck in the middle of a fierce storm, soaking wet and having fierce winds whipping our yacht but it's what Ben wanted….'

'Mayday, mayday,' the captain said, finding the channel but was only getting static before Ben intervened.

'Let me try it,' he said, remaining calm while he turned the key several times before the engine finally started and the yacht's motor purred, to Tony's relief.

'Good work, mate, we may be able to do it after all! Go back up deck with your dad and your mates and we'll get the _Lara_ back to shore in one piece!

Strewth, what a way for your party to end, eh?' Tony said as he took the steering wheel and managed to steer the yacht as it slowly but surely made its way across the sea in spite of the terrible conditions it was battling against.

'Hang on tight, everyone, this is going to be rough and choppy but we'll make it!' he said and everyone scrambled back inside the yacht, shivering but sheltered from the storm and feeling the vicious winds rocking them back and forth but were hopeful that they would make it back to shore.

Elsewhere, Lily, who hadn't moved from the ledge, was hanging on to the railings for dear life and was not aware that Ben and the partygoers had gone back inside, as the wind whipped furiously against her, her face and hair wet from the rain and her tail was flying in the air like a flag but she still hung on tightly.

Looking down, she could see Aurora and Senna struggling against the waves as they were attempting to reach her and Sandy was also holding on to the rails but due to her having wings instead of fingers like Lily did, she was fast losing her grip but was determined not to be blown away.

'Wow, she's a real ripper tonight! Betcha you didn't see that coming, did you?' Sandy said, 'but that's what the weather is like here, it lulls you in with a false sense of security by pretending to be sunny and gorgeous but when you least expect it…'

Her sentence was then cut off as the strong winds made her lose her grip and send her flying and she squakwed, 'Lily!' as she disappeared into the stormy sky.

'Lily, what in Poseidon's name are you doing, child?' Senna shouted against the thunder and winds, as she and Aurora finally managed to reach the yacht and found Lily still gripping onto the railings.

'Don't you realise that it's dangerous to be out in a storm? You could be seriously injured or even killed! You let go of those railings and jump back into the ocean right now, young lady!

Come on, grab my claw,' as she hopped on Aurora and held out her claw for Lily to grab but both fish and crab were too short and too far away to reach the mermaid who then let go of the railings, unable to hold on to them any longer, and was sent tumbling back into the ocean before resurfacing and watching the yacht struggle against the howling waves, who were determined to swallow it up.

* * *

Tony soon realised that he was badly underestimating the storm as the yacht was fast proving to be no match for it as a monstrous wave toyed with it and its struggling engine, the captain who was losing his grip on the steering wheel and its terrified passengers who were watching from below, just as the engine stopped completely and he was unable to restart it, no matter how hard he tried, leaving them stranded in the middle of the ocean with no sign of help coming.

'Oh, strewth!' Tony said, 'she's completely buggered! And we're far away from shore so the best thing to do is to send out a mayday signal, get the lifeboats, evacuate everyone from the yacht and wait for help and hopefully someone will come at this hour.'

Calmly, he sent out a mayday signal and ordered the crew to get the lifeboats onto the water and for everyone to evacuate, which they did just as another monstrous wave hit the yacht, which sent it into the direct path of a nearby rock.

'Tony, why has the engine stopped…' Ben said, rushing to the captain's side to see what was happening only to see the rock that the yacht was about to crash into, as the terrified screams of his friends, Ruby's fearful barks and the evacuation signal could be heard from up deck.

'Look out, we're about to hit that rock!' Ben then said but the yacht miraculously missed the rock as the waves pushed it away but it was still in great danger, as Tony and Ben were forced to flee onto the deck as the waves kept thrashing against it.

'Go up on deck, Ben!' Tony said, 'we have to evacuate NOW! I've already sent a mayday and hopefully help will be on the way! It won't be much longer before we're heading for a watery grave!'

Ben did so, just as he smelled smoke and when he and Tony were on deck, they saw that a fork of lightning had zapped one on the railings and set it on fire, which was quickly spreading and everyone was scrambling to the edges to get away from it.

'Everyone jump into the lifeboats NOW!' Tony said, 'it's a matter of life and death and if you swim quickly, you won't get too wet and develop hypothermia! Don't worry about your bits and bobs, just leave them behind!'

Although Anna protested since she wanted to get her belongings and not ruin her Bettina Liano dress, she and everyone jumped into the water, yelping as the waves made them bob up and down but they quickly swam towards the waiting lifeboats and boarded them, only getting slightly wet.

However Grace, who was a bit on the chubby side, was struggling across the water as she desperately tried to reach the boats but Ben and Mia helped her get on to the boat as the flames were fast consuming the yacht as it started to break up and the distant sound of a terrified bark reached Ben's ears as he realised that Ruby was still on the yacht.

'Ruby!' he yelled, jumping off the lifeboat and swam towards the burning yacht to save his beloved companion, ignoring the calls of his father and his friends.

'Ben, what are you doing, mate?' Phil desperately called out to his son, 'come back, it's too dangerous!'

'Forget about your dog, mate!' shouted Cody, but Ben wouldn't even dream of abandoning his dog and would risk his own life to save her, which was what he was doing at this very moment as he swam to the side of the yacht that hadn't been destroyed and climbed up it onto the deck to see Ruby whimpering in fright as the flames surrounded her.

Ben immediately ran to get her and held up his arms to catch her as the yacht was fast breaking up due to the fire and the fierce waves that had sent debris floating in the ocean.

'Ruby, come on girl, jump! Jump, Ruby, I know you can do it!' he said.

Ruby obeyed and leapt into her owner's arms and licked his face in gratitude for saving her. Ben then ran across the fast disappearing deck, looking for somewhere safe to jump from the yacht.

As he reached the edge, he suddenly slipped and was then hit by a flying piece of debris which knocked him unconscious and made Ruby yelp as she flew from his arms and into the ocean, hurriedly dogpaddling to the lifeboat where Phil pulled her up.

'BEN!' Phil screamed, having noticed that his son hadn't made it back and he, Des, Ben's friends and the crew could only watch in horror as the yacht, one of the precious memorials to Phil's late wife, was completely destroyed, breaking up into pieces and sending an unconscious Ben overboard and he sank like a stone into the water.

'Oh, Ben,' Phil then said, tears falling down his eyes, feeling the pain that he went through with losing Lara, as Des comforted him, 'he had his whole life ahead of him and now he's..he's..'

'I'm afraid so, mate, there was no way he could've survived that,' Des said, crestfallen.

'He's carked it for sure,' Adam said, sadly, 'and on his eighteenth birthday too.'

Everyone nodded as they were very sad to lose such a brave and beloved friend and son and that a fun and lively party had to end tragically as they waited for a rescue boat to save them, even if it was too late for Ben.

However, in the distance, Lily had witnessed the whole thing and immediately sprang into action as she saw the unconscious Ben sink into the water and dived in after him. From the little she knew about humans, they couldn't survive underwater, not even for a minute and she had to get him up on the surface as soon as possible as she swam faster towards the boy.

She grabbed him by the arms and held him close to her as she pulled him up with all her strength towards the surface and when she emerged, she looked around to see if there was any shorelines, not noticing a large boat behind her that was picking up the humans that had also been on the yacht nor did they know that Ben had been rescued by a mermaid.

'You're all right now, Ben, I'll get you to shore,' Lily whispered to him, stroking his cheek, while the boat quickly vanished and Ruby barked from a distance.

She then saw twinkling lights from high-rise buildings and she began making her way towards shore the best she could, considering that she was carrying an unconscious human boy, with Aurora and Senna following her, the latter not believing what she had just seen.

* * *

It was early morning and luckily there weren't too many people out on the beach, which was coincidentally Mermaid Beach where Ben lived, apart from a few lifeguards on their morning patrol, who didn't take notice of Lily, as she gently laid Ben on the beach and Sandy was just flying in.

Lily looked anxiously at Ben, not sure what to do or if he was alive while Sandy waddled down to Ben's feet and checked for a heartbeat…on his right foot.

'Is he…dead?' Lily said, uncertainly, although he felt warm to the touch. That had to be a good sign, although Sandy was frowning as she pressed Ben's foot to her ear, sighing and making clicking noises.

'Hmmm, I don't like the looks of this,' she said, sighing and shaking her head.

'No, I'm sorry, sweetie, I can't make out a heartbeat. He's dead as a doodoo, which is a real shame, considering you risked an arm and a fin to rescue him,' she then said.

'No, wait!' said Lily, her face lighting up as she heard Ben breathing and coughing but his eyes remained closed.

'He's breathing!' and she planted a soft kiss on his forehead and brushed some of his dark blonde hair out of his eyes as she smiled at him.

'He's so beautiful,' she whispered, 'if only we can be together, then it would be a dream come true.'

For now she had another reason for wanting to be part of the human world, a very important one and it was to be with Ben and she didn't care that they were from two different worlds and that she was a mermaid.

If only it would happen, as Lily sighed and then sang softly to Ben, ' _What would I give to live where you are?'_

 _What would I pay to stay here beside you? What would I do to see you, smiling at me?'_

Senna, who was resting in the shallow water with Aurora as both of them were exhausted from last night, looked at Lily and her worst fears were confirmed as all her efforts to keep Lily out of trouble had been for naught, as she realised that the mer-princess was _in_ _love with a human!_

It was more than she could bear and she shuddered at what the consequences were if the queen were to find out about this!

 _'_ _Where would we walk, where would we run, if we could stay all day in the sun?'_ Lily continued singing, her voice barely a whisper.

Ben then regained consciousness and looked up at the mysterious yet beautiful girl with a heavenly voice who had saved him from drowning and she was illuminated by the morning sun. He smiled, as he thought he was looking at an angel.

An angel who had the most beautiful sapphire blue eyes, very like his and her shiny, long blonde hair was draped behind her like a veil, shimmering in the sunlight and he reached up and placed a hand on her cheek, instantly falling in love with the girl who rescued him.

 _'_ _Just you and me and I could be…'_ Lily sang sweetly in a voice that Ben knew he would remember forever, _'Part of your world,'_

* * *

Just as Lily finished her melody and before Ben was fully conscious, Ruby's barks could be heard and realising that she would be discovered, Lily planted a quick soft kiss on Ben's head and hurriedly dove back into the ocean, her tail flashing briefly just as Ruby appeared and licked her owner on the face, along with the voices of Phil, Cody and Adam calling out,

'There he is, on the beach!'

'Oh, it's a miracle, he's alive!'

'Ben, mate, are you alright?'

Ben sat up, quite groggily as he saw his father and his friends looking at him, relieved that he was alive and well, although his clothes were worse for the wear as his shirt was torn to pieces and the bottoms of his trousers were torn off but that didn't matter as Ruby jumped up and down excitedly and Phil hurriedly went over to his son.

'Ben, you're alive, mate!' Cody said, 'We thought that you carked it when the yacht was destroyed or that the sharks had got you! This is one birthday that you won't be forgetting in a hurry, that's for sure!'

'We were worried sick about you and you were on the news this morning, mate!' Adam said, 'and on the front page in the papers and news websites, so there's your fifteen minutes of fame extended!'

'That'll be right,' Ben said.

'Oh, Ben, thank God you're alright!' Phil said, as he helped Ben to his feet, 'you certainly do enjoy making my blood pressure rise, don't you?

I was afraid that I had lost you but somehow, you managed to swim back to shore! How did you do it?'

'I didn't, Dad,' Ben said, 'a girl rescued me. She brought me here and…she was singing to me, with the most beautiful voice I have ever heard, like an angel.

She truly did, Dad, otherwise how could I've swum back here by myself in that storm?'

Ben then felt faint and stumbled backwards, as Phil caught him while Adam and Cody looked around the beach sceptically, thinking that Ben was still feeling the effects of being knocked out and nearly drowning.

'I don't see a girl around here, mate,' Cody said, 'are you sure that she rescued you and sang to you, because I think that you're hallucinating. If there are any girls here, we would've have seen them.'

'Yes, it's the seawater and having flying debris hit you that's done it,' said Phil, 'and I think that you have swallowed too much of it and are still concussed from your head knock. We better take you to the hospital to have you checked out.

Come on, let's go, mate,' he then said, leading Ben back to their home, 'come along, Ruby,' he said to Ruby, who was leaping around in the waves and barking happily to the ocean and made her way towards her owner and his friends and father.

Lily, who was bobbing up on the surface from a distance, watched them while not paying attention to Senna, who was explaining to her and Aurora how they were going to keep this a secret from Daisy and not to arouse any suspicions.

'So it's agreed that we don't say a word about this or draw any attention to ourselves in anyway. We don't arouse any suspicions and we'll just pretend that this little escapade never happened.

The queen will never know, not as long as anyone of us doesn't tell her and I won't be tomorrow night's entrée! We've got to keep calm and carry on,' Senna said.

Lily kept watching Ben, as he faded from her sight and she started to sing again,

 _'_ _I don't know when, I don't know how, but I know something's starting right now!_

 _Watch and you'll see.. someday I'll be_

 _Part of your world!'_

Lily blew a kiss to Ben, even though he was now too far away for her to see him and neither he nor Phil or his friends could hear her sing but Ruby did and she barked happily at the ocean, knowing that she was indeed the one who saved her dear owner from drowning.

'And that is a promise, Ben,' Lily whispered in the breeze, 'no matter what it takes.'

She then dived back into the ocean as Teale and Neale watched her from the shadows of the kelp bushes and they cackled with delight at what they were about to show their mistress…

* * *

 _Phew, that was epic! And looks like trouble is brewing around the corner!_

 _Read and review!_


	7. Lily in Love

'Oh, no, no, no, this is too good to be true!' Sharla cackled when Teale and Neale showed her the image of Lily looking longingly at the shoreline in her lair later that day, 'not only is she in love, she's in love with a HUMAN boy!

Oh, won't Mummy be thrilled? Her little girl is in love with the thing she hates the most! Yes, I can just see it now,' said Sharla, as she looked at her garden where terrible moans and screeching could be heard from it.

'Queen Daisy's headstrong, lovesick girl will make a lovely little addition to my garden, just like all those before her,' she said, laughing evilly as the garden of polyps moaned and screeched, for this was only the beginning of her long-awaited revenge...

* * *

Over the next few days, Lily had managed to keep her growing love for Ben under wraps from her family and they didn't suspect a thing but when she was alone in her grotto, she just couldn't get him out of her mind and her head was in the clouds as she was constantly daydreaming about him and mooning around the palace and singing to herself when she was in the grotto.

And when she looked at her statue while it was playing the lovely melody of her song, she imagined that it was her and Ben dancing together and that made her long for him more.

Eventually, Lily's change in behaviour did not go unnoticed by her sisters, as it was clear to them that their little sister was dazed and distracted and try as she might, Lily couldn't keep her love for Ben hidden any longer and had let her guard down one night when she was dreaming about meeting Ben on the beach and was muttering in her sleep,

 _Ben was sitting on the beach and staring at the ocean, thinking about the girl who had saved him from drowning and he heard her beautiful voice in his head. He had searched high and low for her but had been unsuccessful._

 _He was beginning to think that it had been an illusion, when suddenly; Lily emerged from the water, singing the beautiful melody which made Ben's ears perk up and he walked over to the ocean as Lily swam closer to him._

 _When they met each other halfway, Lily smiled at him, taking his hands into hers and Ben stared into her beautiful blue eyes, the ones that had looked down at him when he had regained consciousness._

 _'_ _Ben, do you remember me?' Lily said, 'I'm the girl who rescued you from drowning and sang to you!'_

 _Ben just stared at Lily, thinking that it was too good to be true until he saw the truth and sincerity in her eyes and seeing the girl clearly in the flesh, he then realised who his mysterious angel really was._

 _'_ _It's you!' he said, happily, as he gathered her up in her arms, only to see her pink tail flicking in the air and he then stared in amazement as he saw that the girl he had searched for all over the Gold Coast was a mermaid from her pink seashell bra to her tail._

 _'_ _You're a..mermaid,' he whispered in awe, 'and you came back to me! I thought I was going mad and yet you're here with me. Thank you for saving me, my angel but I don't even know your name even though you know mine.'_

 _'_ _It's Lily,' Lily replied, 'and I don't care if we're from two different worlds, I love you with all my heart and I want to be part of your wonderful world, Ben. I know we can make it work somehow.'_

 _'_ _We will, Lily, you're the one for me and I never want to be apart from you again. I love you so much, my angel.' Ben said, as he and Lily held each other close and leaned forward for their first kiss, neither one of them wanting to let go._

 _'_ _Lily,' Ben said, as his lips met hers in a deep and passionate kiss as he repeated her name over and over again, 'Lily, Lily, Lily..'_

* * *

Ben's voice then turned into the gentle and motherly tones of her eldest sister Rose as she was calling to her and the beach faded back into the bedroom, as Lily slowly opened her eyes to see that it was morning and her sisters surrounding her bed and watching her as she sighed dreamily and stretched out her arms and tail, making a huge show of it as she sleepily rubbed her eyes.

She then grinned at her sisters, not even being repulsed by Violet's kelp mask on her face and her hair being in curlers, which was what she wore every morning and they looked at her curiously, wondering what was going through their little sister's mind.

'Lily, dear, it's time to get up,' Rose said gently, 'and don't forget to make your bed.'

Lily rose out of her bed, not really paying attention to her eldest sister as she forgot to make said bed, which Rose had to do and she wasn't at all pleased about it and swam past her sisters, stroking their cheeks as she swam to the washroom that they all shared.

'Good morning, Rosie, Mari, Daffy, Ferny, Bella and Vi,' Lily said to each of them, using the nicknames she had called them when she was little which made Fern scowl at her and she got some of Violet's mask on her fingers.

But she was too happy to notice the looks her sisters were giving her or hear their whispers and mutterings about her strange behaviour.

'What is with her lately?' Violet said, 'she hasn't called us those names in years and she was muttering in her sleep last night, which gave me the most terrible bags under my eyes, since I couldn't sleep myself!'

'And is that why the seaweed monster has emerged this morning?' Daffodil said, teasingly.

'We've been over this, Daffodil, it's a kelp mask and it's part of my morning beauty routine!' hissed Violet, 'speaking of which, I need to use the washroom so I can go and meet Michael later today.'

'Michael?' Marigold said, as she was well aware of Violet's many boyfriends and her habit of breaking up with them when she got bored of them or met someone better,

'I thought your merbeau was Carl. Did you just add him to the dumped boyfriend pile?'

'Yes, I broke up with him because he was a jerk,' Violet said, 'and I don't want to talk about him AGAIN! He was nothing more than a womaniser and played with my heart like a shark plays with a wounded guppy! Michael is much nicer than that jerk.'

'Violet, you break up with a boy every week,' said Marigold, 'to you, they're just accessories which you dump when you don't want them anymore. Love them and then leave them when they're not your type is your motto!'

Violet just huffed and swam towards the washroom where Lily still was, oblivious to her sisters' argument as she was messing with her hair, daydreaming about Ben for the umpteenth time and was humming the song again, which Violet heard and she was losing patience with her little sister.

'Lily!' Violet shouted to her, 'cut that stupid singing out and hurry up in there! You're not the only one who needs to use the washroom, you know! Six other mermaids are waiting for it, especially me since I'm going out and I need a shower!'

'And the seaweed monster bellows for its natural habitat!' Daffodil said, thinking that she had make a joke, 'come on, it's funny,' and laughed out loud only to realise that she was the only one and that the others were looking at her stonily, so she stopped.

Lily then swam out of the washroom as Violet quickly entered it, without so much as a thank you and she was still humming while she picked a sea flower from the curtains near her bed, just as Daisy was coming in the room to greet her daughters.

'Good morning girls,' she said, just as Lily bumped into her and place the flower into Daisy's hair, which made her chuckle and smile at her youngest daughter.

'Good morning, Mum,' Lily said and then swam down the corridor, humming and twirling gracefully as she went, while Daisy chuckled to herself, amused by Lily's antics while her other daughters raised their eyebrows and quickly joined their mother at the door.

'Well, looks like someone is in a very good mood today,' Daisy said, 'something must have tickled Lily's thoughts and made her happy and that truly warms my heart.'

'That's putting it mildly,' Fern muttered.

'Oooh, she's got it bad,' Marigold said.

'What do you mean by that?' Daisy said, confused.

'Isn't it obvious, Mother?' Bluebell asked, as she pulled out a book from the shelf near her bed and put on her reading glasses, flicking through until she found the right page,

'Lily is having expressive and pleasurable feelings from an emotional attraction towards another person,' she said, as she tended to give detailed answers to simple questions, since she was very intelligent and spent her free time reading.

'In English, Poindexter,' said Fern, while Bluebell frowned at her as she took off her glasses and putting them on her head and closed her book, putting it back on the shelf.

'Lily is in love,' Bluebell said.

'Then you should've said that instead of that smarty-pants mumbo-jumbo!' Fern said.

'Well, excuse me for being the smartest mermaid in all of Aquaria!' Bluebell said, sticking her tongue out at Fern in a childish manner, while Daisy pulled the flower out of her hair and said to herself,

'Lily is in love?'

* * *

Later that day, Senna was watching Lily as usual and she was trying to come up with ways to prevent the queen from finding out about her little secret, as she paced around in circles, talking to herself.

'Alright, so far, so good,' she said, calmly, 'the queen doesn't seem to know anything and I certainly haven't aroused any of her suspicions about Lily's love for the human boy and I won't as long as I keep quiet and Lily keeps behaving herself.

But I daresay it won't be easy keeping something as big as this a secret for long, since the queen has a knack for reading merpeople and sea creatures like a book and getting them to spill the pearls…'

Flower petals then fell onto her head, as Lily was picking them off in front of her while she was yet again daydreaming about the handsome human boy that had stolen her heart and saying, as she plucked each petal,

'He loves me…he loves me not… he loves me…he loves me not…he loves me..' she then gasped happily as she held the last petal to her heart, taking it as a very good sign that she and Ben were meant to be.

'I knew it! He does love me! This is definitely a sign that we are meant for each other! Oh, I have to see him again! I'll go up to the surface tonight and Sandy knows where he lives, so I'll swim up there…'

'Princess Lily Ariel Clamarius of Aquaria, will you PLEASE stop talking such silly bollocks!' Senna scolded, as she swam up in from of Lily, who scowled at hearing her full name, which was used very rarely, except at royal balls and formal events.

'Senna St. Clair, will you please stop using such disgraceful language that a crab of your status is not supposed to know!' Lily said, sounding like her mother and it made Senna blush embarrassingly and it was a welcome diversion for the mermaid as she started swimming up to the surface.

'I'll swim up to his house, then Aurora will splash around to get his attention, he'll come out and I'll tell him that I'm the one who rescued him and then we'll-'

'Go back home!' Senna said, swimming in front of Lily, one step ahead of her, 'Lily, would you please get your head out of the clouds and back into the water where it belongs?

Listen to me, child, DOWN HERE is your real home! You don't want to be part of the human world; it is a complete mess up there as they face many dangers and problems that they can't solve easily and are at constant odds with each other!

Whereas life under the sea is so much better than anything they have up there! Allow me to explain this to you through song,' Senna said, patting the rock that Lily had sat on, ushering her to sit next to her and the mermaid did so as the crab began to sing about their life under the sea.

* * *

' _The seaweed is always greener, in somebody's lake,'_ Senna sang in a beautiful operatic voice, as Lily looked up at the surface longingly as Senna continued singing,

' _You dream about going up there, but that is a big mistake. Just look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor._

 _You're a princess of the kingdom, your mother's favourite daughter and the coral of her eye.'_

'Unless she finds out about your love for a human boy,' Senna muttered discreetly but Lily didn't listen, as the crab kept singing,

' _And you want to throw it all away for a dismal human world? Why would you do that?_

 _There are such wonderful things around you!_

 _What more do you want? What does the human world have that the sea doesn't?'_

A school of yellow fish soon joined in, swimming around Lily as Senna continued singing, clearly enjoying every word of it,

' _Under the sea, under the sea! Darling child, it's better down where it's wetter,_

 _Take it from meee!_

 _Up on the shore, they work all day, out in the sun, they slave away_

 _They face many problems that they can't always solve every day_

 _While we're free to float without a care under the seeeeaaaa!'_ as Senna stressed out the last syllables as Lily watched her swim up to a bright blue lobster playing a set of clams in time with the music and he said to Senna,

'Right on, SSC, keep that voice going, girl!' which made the crab blush and she continued singing, with many more sea creatures joining in, playing music and dancing around Lily.

' _Down here, all the fish are happy, as of through the waves they roll,'_ Senna sang, as a cute baby dolphin swam past, chirping happily while a fish was floating by in a bubble with a miserable expression on his face which made Senna frown,

' _The fish on the land aren't happy, no sireee! They're sad because they're in the bowl._

 _But the fish in the bowl is lucky, they're in for a worser fate!_

 _One day when the boss gets hungry,'_ Senna then reached out and popped the bubble with her claw and then finished her line,

 _'_ _Guess who's going to be on tonight's dinner plate? Oh, no!'_

A small group of seahorses appeared and tickled Lily's face, which made her giggle and put a pink sea lily in her hair, her namesake flower as Senna kept pointing out all the wonderful things that made their life under the sea much better than the human world,

' _Under the sea, under the sea! Nobody beats us, fries us and serves us up with tartar sauce or Thousand Island dressing! And that is truly a blessing!_

 _We're what the land folks love to cook, but under the sea, we're off the hook!_

 _And not in their tum!_

 _We've got no troubles, life is the bubbles under the sea! Under the sea, since life is sweet here, we're in luck here and we've got the beat here naturally!'_

* * *

By now, it was becoming quite a party and lots of sea creatures wanted a piece of the fun as they joined in and played various 'instruments', which made Senna smile, as she too was enjoying herself for the first time in days and she continued singing, pouring her heart and soul into it,

' _Even the sturgeon and the ray, they get the urge to start to play. We've got the spirit; you got to hear it, under the sea._

 _The newt play the flute, the carp play the harp, the plaice play the bass and they sound sharp._

 _The bass play the bass, the chub play the tub, the fluke is the duke of soul. The ray, he can play, the ling's on the strings, the trout's rocking out, the blackfish, she sings,'_

 _'_ _Under the seeeeeaaaaaaaaa!'_ the blackfish sang out, which made the sea creatures screw up their faces, for while she had an operatic voice like Senna's, it possessed none of the beautiful and dramatic tones that the crab had.

'Ahem, as you were,' Senna said, noticing that the band had stopped and the blackfish grinned sheepishly, as the sea creatures resumed playing and Senna finished her line,

 _'_ _The smelt and the sprat, they know where it's at. And oh, that blowfish, blow!'_

While the band kept playing, Aurora made her way through the crowd, looking for her best friend, for she had a special surprise for her in her grotto. Swimming through the band, who took no notice of the little pink fish, Aurora smiled when she saw Lily sitting on the rock, swam over to her and whispered into her ear,

'Lily, come with me, I have something really special to show you that I know that you are going to like!'

Lily smiled and eager to get away from Senna for the rest of the day, swam off with Aurora which the band didn't notice, as they were too busy playing and having the time of their lives and Senna, who also wasn't aware that Lily had disappeared again, continued singing

' _Yeah, under the sea, under the sea. Where the sardine begin to beguine, it's music to me!_

 _And what does the human world have? A lot of sand, whereas here in the sea, we've got a charming crustacean band!_

 _Each little clam here knows how to jam here, under the sea. Each little slug here is cutting a rug here, under the sea._

 _Each little snail here knows how to wail here. That's why it's hotter under the water. Yes, we're in luck here, down in the muck here!_

 _Under the seeeeeaaaaaaaaa!'_

The band stopped playing and Senna took a few minutes to catch her breath before turning to the rock that Lily had been sitting on and said,

'What do you think, Lily? Isn't life under the sea much better than the human world?' only for her and the sea creatures to realise that Lily wasn't there.

'Lily?' Senna said, as the sea creatures swam off and the crab put a claw to her head, as she groaned at being too caught up in the performance to not notice that Lily had snuck away from her again.

'Oh no, not again! Someone ought to nail that girl's fins to the floor. Honestly, she has the attention span of a shrimp!' she moaned.

But before she had time to go after the mermaid, Nadine was swimming towards her in an urgent matter and Senna gulped nervously as she knew that it wasn't going to be good.

'Senna!' Nadine said, panting heavily before composing herself, 'there you are, I've been looking everywhere for you! I have an urgent message from the sea queen!'

'The sea queen?' Senna said, trying her best not to show her nervousness but she had an uneasy feeling in her stomach, 'what does she want?'

 _Surely it can't be about Lily?_ She thought to herself, _No, just keep calm and carry on, old girl, I'm sure it's nothing._

 _'_ She wants to see you at once. It's something to do with Lily, I believe.' Nadine said and then sped off towards the palace, leaving Senna shaking nervously in her shell as her worst fears were realised, far worse that the ruined concert.

Somehow, word had gotten to Queen Daisy in spite of her best efforts to not arouse suspicion and Senna was about to bear the brunt of Daisy's anger yet again and would pressure the poor crab to tell her everything.

'She knows!' Senna gasped, 'I'm crab cakes for sure now!' and cautiously swam towards the palace.

* * *

 _Uh oh, Senna, you're gonna get it for sure! And there's another little Easter egg from TLM, as Lily's middle name is that of her counterpart! (Thought that would a nice thing, as well as the Ariel and Eric statue) and Senna's version of 'Under the Sea'._

 _And Lily's sisters..oh, they're quite the loveable bunch, aren't they? Despite their arguments, they do care for each other!_

 _Read and review, as things start to get serious! :)_


	8. Senna Confesses

Senna's heart was pounding crazily in her chest when she approached the throne room and peeked nervously inside to see Daisy sitting on her elaborately decorated shell throne, chuckling to herself and messing with the flower that Lily had put in her hair earlier that morning, while she said,

'Well, this is certainly unexpected, my little Lily finding love. She seems to have taken a leaf out of Violet's book but I hope that the lucky merman who has won her heart is far more appropriate than the ones that Violet chooses. I wonder who he is..'

Seeing the queen in a good mood made Senna feel a little less nervous, but the crab would be fooling herself thinking that it would last, for it was merely the calm before the storm when she would ask Senna who Lily was in love with and she would have no option but to tell her the truth.

'Just keep calm, Senna, old girl and don't overreact. Keep a cool head and hope that the queen doesn't ask too many questions.' Senna said, before the queen noticed her lurking in the doorway and ushered her to come in.

'Is that you, Senna?' Daisy said, 'please stop lurking in the doorway and do come in, I'm not going to bite your head off!'

 _Well, not yet, but you will soon,_ Senna thought miserably as she entered the throne room, trying to remain calm but her voice betrayed her nervousness, as she said,

'Yes it is!' her voice high-pitched and squeakier than normal as she scurried promptly towards the queen but she quickly cleared her throat when she was at the foot of the throne and said in her normal proper tone,

'Yes, Your Majesty, I came as soon as possible and I would just like to say that I have been doing a tip-top job of watching Lily and have managed to keep her out of trouble!' hoping to appease Daisy, although the crab knew that it was a complete lie and the queen seemed to know it, by raising an eyebrow at her.

'That may be but I am very concerned about Lily and I'm not sure that you have noticed this, but she has been acting very peculiar lately. Do you know the reason why? I promise that I won't get angry if you tell me.'

 _That's complete bollocks; you'll go back on your promise and explode like an underwater volcano if I told you that your daughter was in love with a human!_ Senna thought and she almost said out loud but thought better of it and was trying to remain calm, but she felt like Daisy was pushing her against the wall and she couldn't escape.

'What do you mean she's been acting peculiar, Your Majesty?' Senna said, acting like she didn't know what Daisy was talking about but the queen wasn't buying it and kept persisting with her questioning, knowing that the crab would soon confess.

'You know, mooning about, daydreaming, singing to herself and having a dazed look in her eyes. It's like she's in her own little world and you honestly haven't noticed this?' Daisy said, looking at Senna quizzically.

'Well, you know what teenagers are like, Your Majesty, they go through this phrase where they see something that excites them and they go bonkers so they don't think straight and keep it to themselves so as not to arouse any suspicions.' Senna said.

'Senna,' Daisy then said, face to face with the crab that was now hovering in front of her, not at all convinced by her answer and stared at her, remaining calm as usual and smiled,

'Is there something that you're not telling me? Because I can see that you are hiding something and it's best that you tell me now, because I will find out eventually and you know that I have zero tolerance for lying.'

'Oh, Your Majesty, why would I do that?' Senna said, chuckling nervously, 'you know that I always tell you everything that is happening in the kingdom, so why would I keep something as big as this from you?'

'Yes, Senna, why would you keep something like Lily being in love from me, her mother?' Daisy said softly and she smiled at Senna,

'It's nothing too major, I just want to know who the merman she has fallen in love with is and that she won't be following in Violet's fins by choosing inappropriate boys..'

That was it for Senna. She was unable to keep Lily's secret any longer and like her shell that she moulted every year; she cracked and blurted out,

'I'm so sorry, Your Majesty! I tried everything to stop her, but she wouldn't listen! I told her that humans were nothing but trouble and they are indeed bad and dangerous but oh no, she just ignored me and…'

 ** _'_** ** _HUMANS?!'_** Daisy practically roared, **_'WHAT ABOUT HUMANS?!_** '

She ended up going back on her promise which Senna had predicted correctly and her blue eyes were clouded over as her inner fury and rage was erupting which frightened the poor crab as she realised what she had done and had practically betrayed Lily by revealing her secret.

'Humans?' she chuckled nervously, 'who said anything about humans?'

' ** _DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!'_** Daisy roared again, grabbing the hapless crab in one hand as she yelped.

* * *

'Aurora, why can't you tell me what the surprise is?' Lily asked as she followed Aurora to her grotto, blissfully unaware that Senna had told her mother her secret and that Daisy was bellowing like a sea beast at this very moment she was heading to her special place.

'Do you want to ruin it?' said Aurora, 'I want it to be special, considering it was such a heavy object that I lugged across the ocean.. well, just wait and see! I know that you're going to love it!'

'Aw, come on Aurora, tell me!' Lily said but the fish remained silent although her tail fin was wiggling in anticipation as Lily pushed away the rock and gasped in delight at the wonderful surprise that Aurora had for her, while the little fish giggled and swam in front of it.

'Surprise!' Aurora said, wiggling her fin towards the large object that she had managed to drag across the ocean in spite of being a little fish, but she did it for her best friend.

Standing in the middle of the grotto was the portrait of Ben that had sunk to the bottom of the ocean on the night of the storm but it was still in pristine condition, having hardly been affected by the salt water and not a single smudge or water mark could be seen on it.

'Oh, Aurora,' Lily said, happy tears streaming down her face and she gave her best friend a huge hug, 'thank you so much, you're the best friend ever, but how on earth did you manage to..

Oh, it doesn't matter, you truly are an angel, Aurora and it looks just like him!' Lily said, giggling happily as she leaned against the portrait and pretended that Ben was in the grotto with her as she planted a kiss on it.

'Hi, Ben, I'm Lily,' she said, 'do you remember me, I'm the girl who rescued you from drowning and sang to you!' which were the exact words she had said in her dream last night and she laughed out loud as she spun and twirled around the grotto in a happy daze.

So much that she didn't notice her mother standing in the doorway, with an angry look on her face but was remaining calm and holding her sceptre firmly in her hand, which was glowing and Lily gasped at seeing her there.

'Mum!' she said breathlessly, wondering what she was doing in the grotto or how she found out about it, since it was filled with the human things she despised.

And she was indeed scowling as she was trying to fight back the urge to destroy them but the answer to Lily's question was in the form of the little crab that was hiding behind a rock.

'Senna,' Lily whispered, giving the crab a dirty look for her betrayal, 'You ratted us out! How could you do that when you promised not to?'

Senna had an apologetic and guilty look on her face and was dreading the consequences of her actions as Daisy took a deep breath, trying to retain her queenly composure and calmly said,

'I consider myself a reasonable mermaid and that I show great care and concern about the welfare of my daughters, subjects and my kingdom. I set certain and fair rules and I expect them to be obeyed at all times to ensure the safety of the kingdom and all those who inhabit it.

I also have a tendency to remain calm even in the worst of crises but there are certain exceptions that I have to make sometimes and it looks like that this is one of them.'

'Mum, I..' Lily tried to explain, but Daisy was having none of it.

'Is what Senna has told me true, that you rescued a _human_ from drowning?' Daisy said.

'I had to Mum, otherwise he..' Lily said, before Daisy interrupted her again

'Lily, I have already made it clear that contact between the human world and the merworld is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN and you should know this by now, as does every merperson in Aquaria!'

'Mum, he would've died if it wasn't for me!' Lily said.

'Then you should've let him!' Daisy shouted, 'it would've have been one less human to worry about!'

'That's a horrible thing to say, Mum!' Lily replied as she swam in front of the portrait, like she was defending Ben, 'how can you jump to conclusions like that when you don't even know him!'

'I don't need to; he's just like the others of his loathsome kind!' Daisy yelled.

'They're all the same and they're nothing more than spineless, savage, ocean-polluting, harpooning fish-eaters who are incapable of any feeling other than hatred, like the ones that took your father away from me…'

'Mum, I love him!' Lily cried, having had enough of her mother talking about her love in a cruel manner only to realise what she had just said and that added fuel to the fire.

'No, it can't be!' Daisy gasped in horror and stared at her daughter, unable to comprehend what she had just heard.

'Have you lost your senses completely, Lily? **_HE'S A HUMAN, YOU'RE A MERMAID!'_** she bellowed and she was angrier than she had ever been before which made her displeasure about the concert pale in comparison as Senna and Aurora cowered in fear but Lily remained defiant.

'I don't care!' Lily said, firmly.

'Poseidon help me, Lily, I will get through to you and if I have to resort to drastic measures… ** _SO BE IT!'_** Daisy roared, lifting up her sceptre which was shining brighter than it been before and Lily was afraid that her mother would be aiming it at _her_ but it was solely aimed at her treasures.

* * *

Sceptre raised, Daisy pointed it at one of the shelves as a glowing beam of light flew towards it, destroying the treasures on it that Lily had worked so hard to collect and were now reduced to rubble, as Lily looked on helplessly with tears streaming down her face.

'Mum! No, please stop! Please don't do this!' Lily screamed as each and every one of her treasures were destroyed in Daisy's pure rage and she had the most vicious look on her face, as if she was destroying the humans herself.

'Your Majesty!' Senna shouted, swimming over to the enraged queen, 'don't you think you're taking this too far? You need to calm down! Don't you see that you're hurting your daughter?'

But there was no stopping Daisy now, not while she was in this mood, as her anger and fury were getting the best of her and that made her deaf to her daughter's and Senna's desperate pleas as everything in the grotto was turned into a pile of rubble.

'You monster!' Lily screamed at her mother, which was something that she had never said to her before, but she was too distraught to care.

She then swam in front of Daisy to stop her, but she pushed her distraught daughter out of her way, as the musical statue was blasted into pieces which made Lily cry out for one of her most favourite things, as the statue played a distorted melody before being scatted onto the floor in pieces.

Then Daisy focused on the portrait of Ben, which made Lily gasp in horror as her new favourite treasure which she had for only a few minutes was shredded to pieces in spite of her best efforts to defend it and to plead her mother not to destroy it.

But it was in vain as Daisy blasted the portrait with all her might and Ben's face soon disappeared under all the rips and bubbles from the sceptre and water, as the last of the treasures was completed destroyed, leaving nothing more than empty shelves and an inconsolable mermaid who slumped over a rock in tears.

Once the water had been cleared, Lily looked up from where she was lying on the rock and saw nothing but empty shelves in the grotto that had once been filled with wonderful human treasures and the portrait of her beloved Ben and were now rubble that was created in a moment of pure rage by her mother.

Lily then looked at her mother, who had calmed down and instantly regretted her actions by letting her temper get the better of her again and Daisy saw the hurt in her baby's eyes, as Lily stared at the woman who she once admired and thought the world of and had received extra love and attention from her but now saw her as a vicious monster who had destroyed not only her grotto but her happiness.

And Daisy felt that she deserved to be called that.

Lily collapsed on the rock again and sobbed loudly, which made Daisy soften at hearing the sound of her daughter's tears and tried to reach out to her, but the mermaid turned away.

'Lily, I..' Daisy said but then realised that she would only cause more harm if she stayed and silently swam out of the grotto as Lily continued sobbing and Aurora and Senna swam over to try and comfort her.

'Lily, are you okay?' Aurora said, in tears herself as she nuzzled against her best friend, but the mermaid was too upset to notice.

'Oh, Lily, I am so sorry, child, I didn't think that it would come to this,' Senna said, soothingly as she stroked her hair gently with her claw, hoping to make everything right after what she had done and that made Lily look at the crab, still stinging from her betrayal as she stared at her with teary eyes.

'Please, just leave me alone, Senna,' Lily whispered, 'you've done enough already,'

'But, Lily, listen to me,' said Senna, 'you have to understand that..'

'LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!' Lily screamed and her voice was hoarse from crying and screaming, 'I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN, NOW GO AWAY!'

'Come on, Senna, let's go, I don't think that Lily wants us here,' said Aurora, sadly and she and Senna swam out of the grotto, leaving the distraught little mermaid sobbing her heart out, surrounded by the rubble that used to be her treasures.

* * *

Having seen the drama unfold from the shadows of the grotto, Teale and Neale saw this as their moment to shine and slithered through the door towards the mermaid, who looked up at them in confusion and fear at the two eerie looking eels that wrapped themselves around her like a feather boa.

'Poor child, poor sweet child,' Teale cooed, 'it looks like she has a very serious problem. But that's typical of Queen Daisy, she acts like she's in control but always loses her temper at the slightest things and look what it has led to!'

'Oh, Teale, if only there was something we can do for this sweet child, something to make her happy again.' Neale said, rather stupidly.

'But, Neale, there _is_ something we can do!' said Teale, 'that's why we're here, you idiot!'

'Oh, that's right, I forgot about that,' Neale said, while Lily looked nervously at the eels that were still wrapped around her and Neale flicked his tail against her face, which made her flinch.

'Who…who are you and what do you want with me?' Lily stammered.

'Oh, don't be scared of us, my dear, we won't hurt you..yet,' Teale said, 'we just happened to be lurking in the kelp bushes nearby and we saw what happened to you and we know what you desire most in the world.'

'And we represent someone that can help you,' Neale said, 'someone that can make all your dreams come true. Just imagine you and your man…'

'Together forever,' both eels chorused.

'But how can you do that?' Lily said, doubtful that two eels would be capable of doing such a thing.

'Our mistress Sharla has great powers,' Teale hissed, 'powers that your mother can only dream of possessing for they are far greater than her sceptre.'

Lily shuddered at hearing the name of the woman that appeared in every merchild's nightmares, including her own and had been warned to keep well away from, as she was nothing more than a sneaky, spiteful and manipulative sea witch and she was not to be trusted.

'You mean the sea witch?' Lily said, 'why that's… no, I can't! She's evil and I can't trust her! I won't do it, so go away and leave me alone! I don't want to associate myself with her!'

'Suit yourself, little princess,' Neale replied as he and his brother turned to exit out of the grotto, hurt by Lily's refusal of their help.

'It was only a helpful suggestion and a way for you to be with your man, but, too bad, he'll move on and find some other girl.' Teale said, using his tail to flick the shredded portrait of Ben towards Lily, as it fell flat on the floor.

Seeing the shredded image of Ben's face, Lily then knew what she really wanted. There was nothing left for her in the sea and Senna's betrayal and her mother's destruction of her grotto sealed the deal for her.

She wanted to be with Ben and she had vowed to do so, no matter what it took, even if she had to…get Sharla to help her and she hoped that she hadn't blown her last chance to make it happen. It may be risky and she would face many dangers but she was prepared to do it.

'Wait!' Lily called out to the eels, who then turned around and smiled at her.

'Yes?' they said.

'I'll do it,' she then said, hoping that she wouldn't be regretting it later on.

'Smart girl,' the eels said and Lily followed them out of the grotto and into the darkest depths of the ocean.

* * *

 _*gulp* Uh oh, now we're REALLY heading into trouble and sheesh, Daisy, don't let your temper get the better of you! Now your daughter is about to make a dangerous deal with the sea witch you banished from your kingdom and it is coming back to bite you!_

 _Read and review and happy Thanksgiving to my American readers! A little treat for you to read today! :)_


	9. Deal With The Sea Witch

Outside the grotto, Aurora and Senna were waiting for Lily to come out and both of them were saddened by what had happened earlier.

Aurora was crying, as she was sad for her best friend and that her wonderful surprise had been ruined and Senna was feeling guilty for having revealed Lily's secret and being unable to stop Daisy during her meltdown and lamenting on the rotten luck she had been having lately.

'Poor Lily, I've never seen her so upset,' Aurora said, sniffing, 'Senna, you said that you wouldn't tell the queen and now look what has happened!'

'I honestly didn't mean to, it was a complete accident!' the crab said defensively, 'I tried to keep quiet but the queen kept hounding me until I cracked like my old shell!

You're right, Aurora I do have loose lips and they have indeed landed me in trouble and the worst run of luck I've had in years! Oh, how can it get any worse?'

As soon as she said it, a dark shadow floated above them and they looked up to see Lily swimming off with two sinister-looking eels and it made Senna shiver and curse her poor choice of words mentally as she swam over to the mermaid, who ignored her and kept on swimming.

'Oh look, it's Snitchy St. Chatter,' Teale said, mockingly as Senna scowled at him.

'I sir, am Senna St. Clair, the distinguished court composer and a dear and loyal servant of Queen Daisy and I demand to know what you are doing with the princess!' Senna said.

'Why don't you ask her?' Teale replied, looking at Senna like she was an idiot.

Giving the eel another fierce scowl, Senna swam in front of Lily, who kept looking ahead as she was still hurt from the crab's betrayal and had made it clear that she never wanted to see her again, but Senna was not to be deterred.

'Lily, where are you going?' she said, 'what have I told you about associating with unsavoury types like these eels? What are you doing with them?'

'I'm going to see Sharla,' Lily said, coldly which made Senna gasp in shock and horror.

'Lily, no, you can't!' she said.

'Sharla is nothing more than a demon and a monster that uses and abuses poor innocent merfolk and sea creatures for her own evil means! Your mother had her banished for a very good reason and she is NOT to be trusted!

I know that you're still upset about what happened in the grotto and that you don't want to see me again, but there is no need to stoop to Sharla's level to deal with it!'

'Well, what are you going to do, tell my mother? Oh, that's right, you already did!' Lily shouted, 'what's stopping you this time?

Go ahead, tell her for all I care, I won't be living in the sea for long anyway!' throwing the crab's betrayal in her face and she sped off after Teale and Neale, leaving a trail of bubbles behind her.

'Yes, buzz off snitch if you know what's good for you,' Teale said, flicking Senna away like she was an annoying piece of seaweed and both eels and the mermaid disappeared from view as Senna sighed heavily.

'Blooming heck, I really am an unlucky crab,' she said, looking at Aurora who was already frightened about the eels, more so about what they were doing to Lily and both of them knew what they had to do.

'Come on,' Senna said, as the little fish followed her as they sped off behind Lily and ventured into the dark depths of the ocean.

* * *

The happy calm waters soon gave way to darkness that no light could reach, underwater volcanoes, shrivelled up plant life and skeletons of unfortunate sea creatures that had accidently wandered into the bleak forest and this made Lily feel nervous about being in this awful and dark place.

Nevertheless, she followed Teale and Neale towards a huge skeleton of a lionfish that sat in the middle of the ocean floor which was a cave that served as the lair of Sharla.

The eels swam towards the mouth and waited for Lily to follow them but the mermaid was starting to have second thoughts about coming here and asking Sharla for help.

If she had any common sense left in her, Lily would have turned around and swum hurriedly home and forget about the whole thing, but there was no turning back now as she had gotten this far and the eels wouldn't let her get away that easily.

She had to do it for Ben since it was the only way that she could be with him and there was no reason to stay trapped in the ocean to lead a miserable life and the eels certainly thought so as they saw the hesitation in Lily's eyes and they weren't going to let the naïve little mermaid escape their clutches, as they turned to look at her.

'This way, dear,' Teale and Neale hissed, 'We can't keep Mistress Sharla waiting any longer,' before they swam into the cave, ushering Lily to follow them again.

'Do it for Ben,' Lily whispered to herself as she took a deep breath and swam inside the cave where she was greeted by a huge garden of moaning and screeching polyps that surrounded the entrance floor which frightened her as their miserable faces looked pleadingly at her as if they were saying,

 _Please help us, little mermaid._

Lily gasped as one of the polyps stretched out and wrapped itself around her arm which made her scream only to cover her mouth with her free hand at the last minute so as not to make herself heard and she struggled furiously against the polyp who was then thrown against the wall when it was released from Lily's arm and moaned as it slithered back to its place in the garden.

Lily shivered at the creature's slimy trail it had left on her arm, more so when she heard Teale and Neale announce her arrival to their mistress, like she was freshly caught dinner, in the main chamber of the cave,

'We got her, Mistress Sharla' they said proudly.

'Well done, my precious poopsies, the fish is truly in the net now,' Sharla's voice echoed around the passageway, as she petted Teale and Neale, which made the polyps wither and moan even louder before being silenced by a loud growl from Sharla as she noticed Lily lurking in the passageway.

'Come in, my dear,' Sharla said in a honey-dripping tone, 'I've been expecting you. We mustn't lurk in doorways, it's rude.

Let me see you face-to-face, there's nothing to be frightened of, just ignore those annoying little polyps in my garden.'

Lily cautiously swam towards the sea witch, away from the moaning polyps, who was sitting on her throne in the middle of the main chamber of the cave which was decorated with dark and light teal streamers, as if to brighten up the otherwise dark and miserable place.

Teale and Neale were flanked either side of her and she had a huge smile on her face as she looked at the mermaid like a hungry shark would look at a guppy before devouring it for dinner.

* * *

Apart from her shark tail, heavy makeup and the unnerving smile on her face, Lily didn't see why Sharla would be dangerous, especially since she spoke in such a motherly and sweet tone, like she had eaten a whole jar of honey and was willing to help her dream come true.

'Ah, Princess Lily, at last we meet,' Sharla then said, as Lily stood in front of her and the sea witch looked at her up and down, which made the mermaid feel uncomfortable, 'and what a beautiful young lady you are.'

'Uh, thank you,' Lily said, uneasy.

'I can see why you're considered the most beautiful of all of the queen's daughters, but one does have to question your upbringing.' Sharla said, as she hastily put a few streamers over the portrait of Daisy so that Lily wouldn't see it.

'But I know that you are miserable under the sea, I can see the sadness in your beautiful blue eyes and that your black hearted mother has caused you that pain.' Sharla cooed.

'How do you know that, Sharla?' Lily said.

'I see all, my dear and believe me, you're not the only person that has been wronged by Daisy, for I myself was the victim of her unjust rules and horrible temper just because I believed that I would be a better ruler than her,' said Sharla.

She gave a slight chuckle and then swam over to her vanity, making a silly face in the mirror and picked up a shell comb and ran it through her hair, although the stray bits kept flying back out.

'But that is not why you're here, isn't it?' she then said, giving up on her hair and going over to her cupboard that was filled with various potions and bottles with strange-coloured liquid in them and poured herself a drink of what looked like boiled seaweed into a glass mug and took a huge swig from it.

'Oh, how rude of me, dear, would you like a drink?' Sharla said, offering the foul-looking liquid to Lily, who screwed up her nose in disgust.

'I'll take that as a no, then,' she then said, finishing the entire thing in one gulp and wiping her lips with her hand and continued speaking, as she put the mug down,

'Anyway, you're here because you have a thing for that handsome human fella you rescued a few days ago. Not that I don't blame you, he's quite the dreamboat, isn't he? And you certainly do have an excellent taste in men, even if they happen to be human!

But fate, as cruel as it is, is keeping you two apart and your dear old Mummy put the final nail in the coffin by not only destroying your precious grotto but also your only link to lover boy and that is tearing you up inside, isn't it?' Sharla said, in a somewhat sympathetic manner, as she stroked Lily's cheek.

'Yes it is,' Lily said, shivering at her gesture and was wondering how the sea witch could help her with her problem but knew better not to question her.

'Well, pufferfish, the solution to your problem is simple. In order to be truly happy and to get what you want is to become a human yourself.' Sharla said.

Lily had expected that to be a possibility, since there were a limited number of ways for a human and a mermaid to be together and if she became a human, there was no stopping her from being with Ben and Sharla obviously had that solution to make in happen.

'And can you actually do that?' Lily said, softly, 'can you turn me into a human?'

'My dear sweet child, you're asking ME that question?' Sharla cooed, as she swam around Lily, 'it's what I do! It's what I LIVE for! It's my true calling in life and what gets me up in the morning each day!

To help poor, unfortunate merfolk like you, those poor souls with no-one else to turn to and I can help you get your man, pufferfish since dear old Mummy is standing in the way of you two being together.'

Sharla then started to sing as she swam around her lair and Lily, who was still frozen on the spot, watching the shark-woman in both awe and fear,

' _I admit that in the past I've been a nasty,'_ Sharla sang, ' _they weren't kidding when they called me, well a witch._

'And that's something I can't deny,' she muttered under her breath,

 _'_ _But you'll find that nowadays, I've mended all my ways, repented, sent the light and made a switch._

 _True? Yes!'_

 _'_ _And I fortunately know a little magic. It's a talent that I always have possessed,'_ Sharla sang as she swam over to her large cauldron that was in the middle of the chamber and opened it, as she said another cutting remark about Daisy,

'And what does your mother have? A silly old sceptre!' as she created an image in the cauldron of a very overweight mermaid and a very skinny wimpy-looking merman and they both had miserable expressions on their faces, clearly not happy with the way they looked.

' _Now, lately dear and please don't you laugh, I use it on behalf of the miserable, lonely and depressed.'_

'How pathetic,' Sharla whispered to Teale and Neale before continuing,

' _Poor unfortunate souls, in pain, in need. This one longing to be thinner, that one wants to get the girl and do I help them?'_

Sharla then snapped her fingers and in an instant, the merman became muscular and the mermaid became thinner and they joyfully swam into each other's arms, happy with their new forms and finding love.

' _Yes, indeed! Those poor unfortunate souls, so sad, so true. They come flocking to my cauldron, crying 'Spells, Sharla please!' and I help them!_

 _Yes I do!_

 _Now, it's happened once or twice, someone couldn't pay the price and I'm afraid I had to rake them across the coals,'_ Sharla sang as she waved her hand and showed the downside to her spells as the poor merpeople were transformed into the creatures that resembled the ones in the passageway which made Lily flinch as the polyps moaned again before being shushed by Sharla's steely glare.

Undeterred, Sharla continued singing as she pulled a streamer from the roof and wore it like a headscarf while Teale and Neale flittered around her, like back-up dancers for a singer at a concert,

' _Yes, I've had the odd complaint or two but on the whole, I've been a saint._

 _To those poor unfortunate souls!'_

* * *

Sharla then wrapped the streamer around Lily like a feather boa as she guided the mermaid towards the glowing cauldron, where the spell to turn her into a human was soon to be cast and said,

'Now here's the deal, pufferfish. I will make you a potion that will turn you into a human for four days. Yes, you heard me right, not two, not three, FOUR DAYS!'

'Didn't it used to be three days?' Lily said, 'because from what I heard, it's traditionally..'

'Yes, well, times have changed, pufferfish and it's lucky for you that I'm in such a generous mood today.' Sharla interrupted.

'As a special treat since you went through such a rough patch with Mummy, I'm giving you an extra day on the house, but don't be relying on anymore freebies after this!'

'Oh, thank you so much, Sharla, that's really kind of you,' said Lily.

'Don't thank me yet, pufferfish, I haven't finished the deal,' said Sharla, rather dryly, as the cauldron produced images to match the deal, showing a glowing tiara with a heart in the middle of it, which looked like a creepy puppet show.

'Now listen carefully because this is important and I'll only say this once as I hate repeating myself.

Before the sun sets on the third-sorry, fourth day, you've got to get that hot young man to fall in love with you. That is, he's got to kiss you and this isn't just any kiss. Not a simple peck on the cheek, let's-be-friends type of kiss, this is the kiss of TRUE LOVE.

If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third-FOURTH day, you'll remain human permanently and you and lover boy will live happily ever after in his world, which is what you want most of all, isn't it?'

Lily nodded enthusiastically as the cauldron produced another image which was a pink silhouette of her, only she was walking on a pair of human legs and was running up to a silhouette of Ben as the two embraced and she sighed happily, knowing that it would soon be a reality.

'But,' Sharla said, which snapped Lily out of her daydreaming, 'there is a very big BUT and I don't mean my own derriere, thank you very much,' which made Lily giggle, 'if he doesn't, then I'm afraid that you'll turn back into a mermaid..'

The image then changed to make the Ben silhouette disappear and when Lily looked at it again, she saw herself with her familiar pink tail in lieu of the legs she wanted badly.

'And YOU WILL BELONG TO ME.' Sharla said, sinisterly and that could only mean being transformed into a polyp like the ones in the sea witch's garden.

'No, don't do it, Lily!' a very familiar English accent cried out from the doorway, as Senna and Aurora were hovering outside the cave, desperate to save their friend from the evil clutches of Sharla,

'Sharla is just using you to…' which were the last words to come from the crab's mouth as Sharla ordered her eels to wrap themselves around Senna and Aurora to silence them and their protests were muffled by the tails of Teale and Neale.

'So whadda say, pufferfish?' Sharla said, putting her arm around Lily, 'are you ready to leave your miserable life under the sea and start a new one in the human world and live with lover boy forever?'

'Oh, yes, I love Ben and there's nothing more that I want than to be with him,' Lily said and she meant every word of it. To be with Ben forever and having been given that chance on a silver platter, well rather a scraggy cauldron, was a dream come true and she was going to take it.

'I know, too bad dear old Mummy had to be such a spoilsport about it due to her petty hatred of humans.' Sharla said.

'But,' Lily then said, as a thought came to her mind. To be in one world, she would have to leave all her family and friends behind in the other one and she cursed herself mentally for not thinking it over.

'But what?' said Sharla, noticing the hesitation in Lily's voice.

'You're not having second thoughts about this, are you? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, don't let it go to waste! Don't get cold fins now, pufferfish!'

'If I become human, I'll never be with my mother or sisters again,' said Lily.

'Ah, yes, that is true, but after what Mummy did to your grotto, I sincerely doubt that you want to see her or your snotty older sisters for the rest of your life. Then again, life is full of tough choices, isn't it?

But you'll have your man,' Sharla said, 'Oh, there is one other thing! How could I forget? I can't believe we haven't even discussed the subject of _payment!_ The best things in life aren't free, you know.'

'But I haven't got anything to give you!' Lily protested and that was true as everything she had that would've been of high value had been destroyed in the grotto.

'Oh, pufferfish, I don't want any silly treasures from you!' Sharla scoffed,

'I don't normally ask for much but what I want is far more valuable than any diamonds, rubies, pearls or coins. It's just a token, really, a trife, something that you won't even miss!

What I want from you is..YOUR VOICE!'

'You want my voice?' Lily said, putting a hand to her throat. Getting Ben to fall in love with her in four days seemed hard enough, but to do it completely mute was practically impossible.

'That's right, pufferfish, no more talking, singing, zip! But a beautiful young girl like you shouldn't have any problems with that!' Sharla said, chuckling.

'But without my voice, how can I get Ben to fall in love with me if I can't even talk to him?' Lily said.

'You don't need a voice to get a man, pufferfish…' Sharla said,

'Stop calling me that stupid name!' Lily shouted, getting fed up of being compared to those silly fish that did nothing but puff up and be inflated, but that was what Sharla was seeing her as.

'..not as long as you have your looks, your pretty face and actions speak louder than words, so don't underestimate the power of body language, ha!' Sharla said, as she swayed her hips to and fro in a comical manner.

* * *

Sharla then swam up to the cupboard that she got her foul-looking drink from and tossed out various ingredients and liquids that were needed for the potion, effortlessly throwing them in the cauldron without even looking as it started to fizz and she sang,

' _The men up there don't like a lot of blabber; they think a girl who gossips is a bore!_

 _Yes, on land, it's much preferred for ladies not to say a word and after all, dear, what is idle prattle for?_

 _Come on, they're not all that impressed with conversation, true gentlemen avoid it while they can._

 _But they dote and swoon and fawn on a lady that's withdrawn_

 _It's she who holds her tongue who gets her man!_

 _Come on, you poor unfortunate soul, go ahead, make your choice!_

 _I'm a very busy woman and I haven't got all day,'_ as a glowing image of Ben appeared from the fizzing cauldron and Lily smiled as she leaned closer to it only for Sharla to burst right through to sing,

' _It won't cost much, just your voice!'_ _You poor, unfortunate soul, it's sad but true!'_

Sharla snapped her fingers and made a scroll appear out of thin air and handed Lily a quill pen, which she picked up with shaking hands, as the sea witch kept singing,

 _'_ _If you want to cross the bridge, my sweet, you've got to pay the toll. Take a gulp, take a breath, go ahead and sign the scroll!'_

 _'_ Teale, Neale, now I've got her boys!' Sharla whispered to her eels before singing, _'The boss is on a roll!' This poor, unfortunate soul!'_

Without a second thought or common sense, Lily hastily scribbled her name on the scroll to the horror of Aurora and Senna, as they watched her sign her life away to the evil sea witch and all for the love of a human boy.

Sharla smiled evilly as the scroll was rolled up and vanished as quickly as it appeared and she chanted a spell from the now bubbling and fizzing cauldron of Posideon only knew what,

' _Beluga sevruga, come winds of the Caspian Sea,'_ Sharla chanted, her voice echoing and bouncing off the walls which sent chills down Lily's spine but she stayed frozen in place, unable to move, as two skeletal hands stared to emerge from the cauldron.

' _Larynxes, laryngitis, la voce to me,'_ Sharla chanted the last line of the spell as she raised her arms at the same time as the skeletal ones who mimicked the witch and she turned her gaze towards her victim like a hunter ready to catch its prey.

'Now sing!' Sharla commanded.

Lily began vocalising which edged the hands closer to her and her voice lit up as a glowing green ball and the beautiful melody rung out, only it was to fall in the hands of the sea witch, whose eyes were bloodshot in pure insanity from her spell.

'Keep singing!' Sharla screamed and the poor mermaid kept vocalising as the hands reached down her throat and took what it had been commanded to do.

Poor Lily was forced to bend backwards as her voice was pulled away from her and placed into the shell that Sharla always wore around her neck and she could only watch as her voice echoed around the cave before fading completely, as she held her throat, now unable to speak.

But the worst was yet to come as the cauldron crackled and fizzled which caught Lily in a massive gold bubble and blacked out her vision to the horror of Senna and Aurora, who could only watch helplessly as the agonising transformation soon took place.

* * *

In an instant, pain shot through Lily's tail and her bones shifted uncomfortably as the tail turned into human legs, the pink scales were smoothed and flattened into skin like peach hues and her fins morphed into feet.

It was incredibly painful for her but she couldn't cry out as she no longer had her voice, as Sharla's evil laugh echoed around the cave and soon the transformation was complete and Lily was now a human..and at the mercy of the elements as she could no longer breathe underwater nor swim without a tail and she flailed her arms uselessly in a desperate attempt to get to the surface, but was making very little progress.

'Quick, Aurora, we must get her to the surface so she can breathe!' Senna cried out, as she and Aurora hurriedly swam towards the now former mermaid.

Aurora tucked her fins under Lily's left arm and Senna's claws wrapped themselves around her shoulder and the crab encouraged her to use her new legs, which she did rather unsteadily.

But with her friends helping her, Lily managed to get out of Sharla's lair and up onto the surface and the muggy Gold Coast air entered her lungs as she took her first breath as a human.

She nearly sank back into the water since she forgot to use her arms but soon resurfaced after realising her mistake and Aurora and Senna helped her to stay afloat as the trio wordlessly made their way towards Mermaid Beach as the early morning sun was rising behind them.

* * *

 _And up to the surface she goes!_

 _Read and review to see how Lily adjusts to life in Mermaid Beach!_


	10. She's Got Legs

Ben was sitting on the beach, staring out into the ocean and was feeling miserable while Ruby lay next to him and she looked anxiously at her owner who seemed to be a million miles away and not focusing on anything.

Normally, he would be going for his early morning swim and then taking Ruby for her walk but instead he just sat and stared into space, thinking about his mysterious girl and hearing her beautiful voice in his head.

'That voice, I just can't get it out of my head,' Ben said, 'and that girl. I dreamed about her again, Ruby, I know she's real even if Dad and the guys say that she's nothing more than an illusion that I made up but why can't I find her?'

Ruby gave a sympathetic whimper and leaned against her owner and Ben petted her as tears were forming in his eyes.

In the few days since he was rescued from the storm that had almost claimed his life, he had been haunted by the voice of the girl and nightmares of drowning which had ended with her rescuing him and was hounded by concerned members of the public who had heard his story on the news and had wanted to know if he was alright.

Ben knew they meant well but he was getting sick of their endless questions, especially ones about the mysterious girl and he had asked them politely to leave him alone, even to his friends who were genuinely concerned about him but he wasn't in the mood for their company and just wanted to be by himself for a while.

He had also driven around the Gold Coast in his new car several times under the ruse that he was taking it out for a first drive and also searched every beach and suburb looking for her but had been unsuccessful and it was tearing him up inside that he couldn't find his true love as he heard her singing in his mind again.

Ben sighed heavily and said, 'I've looked everywhere, Ruby, where could she be?'

* * *

Unbeknownst to Ben at this very moment while he and Ruby walked across the beach, Senna and Aurora were dragging themselves to the shallow water and were clearly exhausted from their swim to bring Lily to the surface at the very place where they had been a few days ago, dragging another useless human body.

Lily was resting next to them before she stirred and noticed the tops of knees poking out of the water and she lifted her new lower right leg up and smiled as she wiggled her toes.

She used them to tickle Aurora to wake her up and the little fish giggled and gasped in amazement at seeing the strange things on Lily but Senna didn't share her feelings as she looked at Lily's legs.

'Look at those stumpy things you have now, Lily,' she muttered to herself, 'and humans think that they are beautiful? They look clumsy and difficult to walk on, so I don't know how on earth you are going to manage walking on them and not having a voice..'

'Well, look what the catfish dragged in!' squawked the familiar foghorn voice of Sandy, interrupting Senna as she swooped down and landed ungracefully as ever in the water before she shook it off and jumped on Lily's lower right leg.

'Look at you, sweetie! There's something different about you, I know there is! No, wait; don't tell me, I'll get it in a jiffy!' she said.

'She's got…' Senna began but Sandy ignored her as she was straining to think and then said,

'You got a new hairdo, didn't you? That dinglehopper sure did the trick; your hair looks as lovely as ever! What's your secret?'

Lily shook her head and Sandy frowned, 'No new hairdo? Fair dinkum but there is definitely something different about you…'

'Look where her tail used to be,' Senna whispered to her.

'Don't tell me, I will get this!' squawked Sandy, 'new seashells?' she then said to Lily before realising that she still wore the same pink seashell bra that she always had.

'Okay, no new seashells,' Sandy said as Lily wiggled her right leg up and down to get her clueless friend to see that she had legs instead of a tail.

But the clueless seagull didn't even when she was bounced off Lily's leg and fell into the water, coughing and spluttering before shaking droplets off her feathers and continued with her guessing game and Senna was starting to get fed up with it, as she said,

'Sandy, you featherbrain, if you would actually bother to use those glassy beads for eyes, you will see that Lily's tail has been replaced with….'

'NO CLUES!' Sandy squawked at the crab, 'I'll get this in a minute!' but after many more fruitless guesses, she gave up and said,

'Well, sweetie, I am truly stumped. I just can't figure out what is different about you, but if I just stand here long enough, maybe it'll come to me…'

That was the final straw for Senna and she was fed up with this mindless game and Sandy's clueless behaviour.

 ** _'OH, RUDDY HECK, SHE'S GOT LEGS, YOU DIM-WIT!'_** she yelled at Sandy,

'She traded her voice to Sharla the sea witch and she gave her legs! How could you not see those stumpy things **RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU?!** Blooming heck, you'll lose your head if it wasn't screwed on!'

'I knew that, you pompous pommie!' Sandy said, defensively, 'it was obvious from here to Hobbittbarty!'

'Not to you it wasn't,' muttered Senna.

'Lily's been turned into a human,' Aurora said, calmly as Lily attempted to stand up only to lose her balance and fall into the water with each clumsy attempt.

It was like when she was a toddler and was learning to swim for the first time, only she was using legs to walk instead of her tail and it was proving to be very difficult but Lily was determined to get the hang of it, as she kept trying.

'And she has to make Ben fall in love with her and he has to kiss her!' Aurora then said.

'And she only has four days!' Senna moaned, flailing her arms like a terrible actor on stage, as she watched the former mermaid struggle to stand upright, her legs wobbling with each turn and for Senna to see it, it was like the world was ending.

'Didn't it used to be three days?' Sandy said.

'Yes, well, Sharla was being 'very generous' and gave Lily an extra day,' Senna said, 'just look at her! On legs! Human legs! Those awful stumpy things that humans think are beautiful! My nerves are completely shot! This is an absolute disaster!

What would her mother say if she was to see her now? I'll tell her what she'll say, she'll say, 'You're crab cakes now, Senna!' and give me to the palace chef to be tomorrow night's entrée, which is my very worst fear!'

Lily had now managed to stand upright but still had some wobbles in her legs as she scooped up Senna in her hands, as she said,

'I'm going to put a stop to this nonsense once and for all! I'll march myself up to the queen and tell her like I should've done in the first place and nipped it in the bud before..

And don't you dare shake your head at me, young lady! You've made your bed, now you must lie in it!' Senna shouted at Lily who was shaking her head frantically at the crab and dangled her above the water like she was going to drop her and that wouldn't have been fun for her.

Senna then took a few deep breaths to compose herself as Lily placed her back in her palm and she calmly said,

'Alright, let's stay calm here, maybe all is not lost. Maybe we still have time to fix this mess before the queen knows about it.

If we can go back to the sea, visit Sharla and convince her to give you your voice back and turn you into a mermaid again, you can go home to your mother and sisters and all the normal fish and just be.. just be..'

Senna stopped mid-sentence when she saw the face Lily was giving her, putting on her best puppy-dog eyes and her lip was trembling slightly as if to convince Senna not to dash her dreams and the crab sighed heavily, knowing that she had been beaten.

'Just be miserable for the rest of your life,' she said.

Although she couldn't believe what she was going to say next, she wanted to make up for all the hurt she had caused Lily and had fuelled her resentment of her and sighed again, as she said,

'Alright, alright, you got me. I'll help you win over what's-his-face,' as Lily smiled and gave the crab a kiss as her way to forgive her and to apologise for shouting at her before placing her down on the sand where she had been.

'Ben,' Aurora piped up, 'his name is Ben.'

'Right, Ben,' Senna said, sighing, 'Blooming heck, what a soft shell I'm turning out to be. I try to be firm but fair but I always end up cracking!'

'Now, Lily, since you are now a human, you have to dress like one,' Sandy said, 'going _au naturelly_ may be fine in the merworld but here it is severely frowned upon.

I mean, you don't see any human without any clothes on and you certainly can't go around in just your seashells, but don't worry, I'll find you something really nice.

Just sit tight and I'll be back in a jiffy!' as she flew away into the distance.

* * *

Elsewhere, Ben was strolling along the beach with Ruby running in front of him, still feeling sorry for himself at not being able to find the girl he had fallen in love with.

His phone, which the crew of the yacht was able to get for him, along with his friends' ones, was beeping in his pocket but he ignored it as he walked rather slowly, kicking the sand with his feet and not caring if it got into his thongs.

Then an obnoxiously loud car horn blared at him, which made Ben look up and see that it was Cody, Adam and Matt, another one of his friends, in Cody's car which was a blue Holden and they called out to him,

'Hey Ben, mate, we're going to Maccas for breakfast! Wanna come with us?'

'No, thank you, I'm taking Ruby for her walk,' Ben said, rather sourly which made his friends frown at his unusual behaviour yet they knew it had something to do with that mysterious girl who he said saved him and it was messing with his head.

'Aw come on, mate, you gotta get that girl out of your head!' Matt said, 'come and have breakfast with us, that'll cheer you up and make you forget about her!'

'You got to stop moping around, Ben and have a life,' Cody said, 'you know that she doesn't exist. She's just a deluded fantasy you had when you nearly drowned and swallowed all that seawater.'

'That's what Dad said to me earlier,' Ben said, 'but I'll keep looking for her, no matter what, so can you please just leave me alone now? I'm not in the mood for Maccas, I'll get something when I go home.'

'Suit yourself,' Cody said, 'see you this arvo,' as he and the boys drove away.

Ben was wondering what his friend meant when Ruby noticed something and sniffed the air, picking up a very familiar scent which she realised that it was her owner's mystery girl and she began bouncing around, barking excitedly.

'Ruby?' Ben said, confused at his dog's suddenly strange behaviour, 'Ruby, what are you doing, girl? What has gotten into you?'

Ruby realised that her owner didn't understand what she was trying to tell him, that his mysterious girl was nearby so she ran off in the direction that the scent was coming from and since she didn't have a leash on, she attracted some unwanted attention from an elderly couple that were walking down the beach.

'That dog ought to be on a leash!' the woman said, 'what kind of irresponsible owner lets their dog run wild on the beach?'

'Ruby!' Ben called while running after his dog and ignoring the stares that the couple were giving him, 'Ruby, come back, girl!'

'Hey, that's Phil Steele's son,' the man said, 'Poor bloke's been through a lot lately with nearly drowning on his birthday and making up crazy stories about a girl rescuing him, so don't be giving him any more grief, love,' as he and his wife watched the boy chase his dog down the beach.

* * *

'Here you go, sweetie, a beeut-fiul new dress for you!' Sandy said, triumphantly as she draped a baby-blue curtain with a pink and yellow rose print around Lily and tied the cord around her waist to keep it in place.

'And don't you just look fabulous in it!' she said as Lily twirled around in it while Senna frowned at the awful pattern and was wondering how Sandy managed to get it, as she hadn't seen it lying around on the beach.

'Sandy, where on earth did you get this thing?' Senna said.

'Oh, I..found it lying around,' said Sandy, shifting her eyes back and forward in a suspicious manner.

Meanwhile, at a house on the beachfront…

'Did you see that, luv?' an elderly woman said to her husband as she looked at the missing curtain that had been on the living room window, that Sandy had stolen earlier when she wasn't looking,

'Some dirty seagull flew in and nicked one of the curtains! Those were our best curtains from Myer and the rat with wings stole it! Bloody thief! When I get my hands on it..'

'You must be seeing things, darl,' the man said, while reading his newspaper.

Back on the beach…

'Well, I wouldn't have chosen the pattern but at least she's clothed,' Senna said, still frowning at the curtain-dress but Lily seemed to be unfazed by it.

'Thank you, I do have a great taste in fashion, if I say so myself,' Sandy said, which Senna rolled her eyes at before the sound of barking could be heard nearby which made the seagull squawk out,

'Look out, furry land creature at nine o'clock!'

Aurora gasped and swam below the surface and Senna ducked for cover by hiding in the curtain around Lily just as Ruby appeared, panting and barking excitedly as she saw Lily who was sitting down on the sand and was shifting away from the dog.

Ruby then approached the former mermaid, sniffing her familiar scent and ran around her, barking happily before standing on her back paws and licked Lily's cheek repeatedly like she did on the night of the party which made Lily smile as she saw the friendly dog that liked her so much.

 _Hey, it's you!_ She thought, smiling as the dog kept licking her just as a very familiar voice called out to her, 'Ruby?'

Lily looked up just in time to see Ben appear on the beach, which made her heart flutter as she hastily brushed her hair with her fingers in an effort to look tidy, which wasn't easy since Ruby was still leaping on her.

Ben was dressed in a white Superdry T-shirt and Maroons shorts and he had blue Quiksilver thongs on his feet and Lily thought he was as handsome as the day she met him now that she was seeing him properly for the first time.

'Ruby, what has gotten into you, girl.. Oh I see,' he said only to stop short to see a blonde-haired girl sitting on the beach looking at him, wearing an old person's curtain like a dress and being subjected to Ruby's frisky behaviour.

'Oh, strewth, are you alright, miss?' Ben said, rushing to her side.

'Ruby! Heel! Get down, Ruby! Heel!' he then said as he lunged forward and pulled the dog away from Lily, holding her firmly in his arms as Lily tided herself up again.

'I'm so sorry about this, miss, I hope this dingbat hasn't been bothering you,' Ben said, patting Ruby and ruffling her fur as Lily smiled at him.

'She's harmless and friendly and wouldn't hurt a fly. She just gets excited, that's all and regards everyone she meets as a friend. Something about you must have made her excited…'

Ben stopped mid-sentence as he got a good look at the girl for the first time.

She had beautiful blue eyes and her blonde hair flowed behind her like a veil, just like his mysterious girl did and there was something _very familiar_ about her but he couldn't figure out what it was.

'You look familiar,' he said, never taking his eyes off Lily, 'you remind me of the girl that rescued me from drowning when the yacht I was on broke up in a fire on the ocean…'

 _Could it really be her?_ He thought as his eyes widened hopefully. Maybe his search was over and that the girl that was sitting right in front of him was the one who saved him and who he vowed to find and had searched the entire Gold Coast for.

'Is it you?' Ben said, then realised that what he said was pretty tactless and corrected himself, 'I mean, have we met?'

Lily nodded cheerfully and Ruby barked happily. He had almost gotten it right and if he seemed to have a good memory of the storm, then this wasn't as hard as she thought it would be and it was turning out to be like her dream.

'We have?' Ben said, a dazzling smile appearing on his face as he gently pushed Ruby aside and Lily nodded again which made Ben smile and his eyes lit up as he took Lily's hands into his which made both their hearts flutter.

'I knew it, you're the one! The girl I have been looking for!' Ben said, 'and to think I searched all over the Gold Coast only for you to be right here in Mermaid Beach! What's your name?'

Only then did Lily realise that she had no voice to speak with as she tried to say her name but no words came out and she turned away from Ben disappointed.

'Oh, you can't talk?' Ben said, as Lily shook her head sadly and he then sighed in disappointment for getting his hopes up again only for them to be dashed yet again.

'Then you can't be who I thought you were,' he said, 'sorry about that, I guess I got my hopes up prematurely again.'

Ruby gave her owner a sceptical look by blowing her ears up in the air and Lily copied her by blowing her hair out of her eyes which made Ben chuckle as he sat down next to Lily and held her hand which made her heart flutter again.

'Still, it was lovely to meet you anyway,' Ben said, kindly as Ruby nuzzled up to Lily, ''I'm Ben, by the way, Ben Steele.'

Although Lily already knew his name, she liked hearing it again, especially from him since his voice was so kind and gentle and his accent was so enchanting, even if she didn't really understand it.

'Well, Benjamin really, but no one ever calls me that except my old teachers from school and even my old man's given up on it,' Ben then said, chuckling.

'Still it's always nice to make a new friend but I don't suppose we can get along if I don't know your name especially since you can't speak.'

Then he had a brilliant idea and gave Lily the smile that she was starting to like so much and he seemed to be much happier with her rather than with his friends which was in contrast to his mood earlier with them.

'Why don't you write it down for me in the sand?' Ben said and Lily nodded eagerly.

Sharla may have taken away her voice but she still had the ability to write and if she couldn't tell Ben her name, she could at least write it down for him.

* * *

She slowly rose up from the sand as Ben took her hand and helped her walk down to the water, although her wobbles were getting better and she was walking quite steadily but she was happy for Ben to help her as they found the damper sand and Lily knelt down and picked up a stick and carefully wrote down her name.

'Lily,' Ben then said, 'that's such a beautiful name.'

This made her blush and in an attempt to show Ben that she was the one who saved his life and how she came onto the beach, she drew a yacht, some waves and a few streaks of lightning under her name.

'What are you…oh, you were on a yacht in a storm weren't you?' Ben said, as he saw the drawing, 'and you got shipwrecked and wound up here and…' as he saw Lily using her hand to imitate Sharla taking her voice but he interpreted that she had injured her throat which would explain why she couldn't speak.

'And you injured your throat so that you can't speak and you were the only one who survived.' Ben said, as he looked at the girl sympathetically.

Even though she may not be the one who saved him, he was starting to like her and she needed help after everything she had been through.

'Strewth, you've really been through a lot, haven't you?' Ben said as Lily nodded at him, although she was frustrated that she had been unable to explain the truth to him but maybe he was better off not knowing, he probably wouldn't believe her.

'Well, welcome to Queensland,' he said, 'we get hit with nasty storms and cyclones every year and around this time as well, but it's a small price to pay to live in the sunshine state which is such a beaut place.'

'Speaking of which, why don't you come and crash at my house?' Ben then suggested, 'you can't stay at the beach forever, especially not in an oldies' curtain!' which make Lily smirk and she nodded eagerly at accepting his offer.

'We can help you get on your feet, get you cleaned up and some nice clothes and you can stay as long as you need to,' Ben then said, talking both figuratively and literally as he helped Lily up and she leaned against him to get her balance.

'I'm sure my dad and our housekeeper won't mind, we'll be happy to have you and no, I don't live on the beach but I do live near it in Hedges Avenue, which is only a stone's throw away,' as he pointed to a row of houses that were near the beach front.

'Don't worry, I'll help you,' Ben said as he wrapped his arm around Lily and Ruby stayed by her side as he led her towards his house which was only a short walk away, 'you're safe with me now.'

Lily glanced over her shoulder and saw Aurora and Sandy smiling and waving as they watched her walk away with Ben and she smiled at them as Sandy gave her a thumbs-up with her wing and Senna grinned slightly as she peeked out from a fold in the curtain.

Ruby barked merrily as she trotted beside her master and the former mermaid as she titled her head back and looked up at the cloudless blue sky while feeling the slight breeze blow through her hair and the warm rays from the sun shine on her face and she savoured every moment.

For the first time in sixteen years, she was truly free.

* * *

 _Welcome to the Gold Coast, Lily! Will she be welcomed with open arms by Ben's father, housekeeper and his friends?_

 _Read and review to find out! :)_


	11. Bellagio Lodge

Hedges Avenue was the most sought after 'millionaire's row' in Mermaid Beach and where the 'who's who' of the Gold Coast had bought beachfront properties and the Steeles were no exception as Ben led Lily towards his house at number 31 which was a beautiful three-level mansion known as Bellagio Lodge due to it's Italian-influenced architecture.

'Here we are, Bellagio Lodge otherwise known as my home,' Ben said as he dug in his pockets for his keys while Lily stared at the house in awe and amazement, as it reminded her of the palace in Aquaria only it was smaller and more private in comparison.

'Beaut, isn't she?' said Ben and Lily nodded in response, agreeing with him.

'You can see why it is the most sought after house in Hedges since it has many high quality luxuries and facilities and we were lucky to get it although some of the would-be owners felt it was wasted on us, since it's only me and our housekeeper, Melinda and Dad, during the off-season, who live here.

Still, we like Bellagio since it's so spacious and private and really close to the beach,' he said, finding his keys and went to unlock the door only for it to open which meant that someone must be home and Lily followed him inside a grand entrance foyer.

'Hello, Dad, are you home?' Ben called out, his voice echoing around the silent and empty foyer which was unlike the noisy and busy palace that Lily was used to back in Aquaria and it made her feel sad that this is what Ben had to come home to.

'I'm back from the beach, is anyone home?' he then said, still getting no response.

'Is that you, Ben?' a female voice called from somewhere, 'I'm in the kitchen, love.'

'Well at least someone's home,' Ben said, smiling at Lily and taking her hand again, 'let's go and meet Melinda so she can get you sorted out. She's really nice and a great housekeeper, so there's no need to be afraid of her.'

'Stay close to me, you don't want to be getting lost in a huge house like this!' he then said, in a friendly joking manner and Lily giggled silently, 'I'll give you a proper tour once Melinda gets you settled in, then you'll know what's what around here.'

Senna, still tucked inside the curtain, peeked out and looked around their new surroundings as Lily and Ben walked down the foyer towards the kitchen.

'For a human, he sure does live in an elegant house,' she said quietly, 'but it's rather empty and quiet and he lives here all by himself? What a sad life he leads.'

* * *

'Oh, g'day, Melinda, is my old man home?' Ben said, as he and Lily entered the kitchen, to a brown-haired woman who wore glasses, a blue top trimmed with white lace, black jeans and had an apron tied around her waist.

Melinda Daley was the Steeles' live-in housekeeper who Phil employed to look after Ben and to do the household chores after Lara's death, in exchange for residence in the house, an excellent salary and down time in the afternoons and evenings.

She had stayed with the family ever since and she did all the cooking since neither Ben nor his father were very good at it, cleaned the house, did the laundry and ran errands, such as grocery shopping.

She was a kind, caring and hard-working woman who had never married but she didn't mind as loved her job, had a roof over her head and good working hours and was like a mother figure to Ben although she knew that she would never be a true substitute for Lara.

Ben liked her very much and she had looked after him like he was her own son and was a fantastic housekeeper, keeping the house immaculate and ensured that everything ran smoothly in Phil's absence.

At this moment, Melinda was busy in the kitchen when she noticed Ben and Lily, who were standing near the huge window which led out to the outdoor sitting area, the swimming pool and the most magnificent view of the beach.

Seeing them, she then put down her knife which she was using for chopping vegetables and wiped her hands on a tea towel before walking over to Ben and the girl who was wearing the most unusual dress but she was wise not to comment on it.

'Melinda, is Dad around?' Ben asked again.

'No, your father's gone to Brisbane, love,' Melinda said, 'the pre-season started today and he and Des have gone to a practice session with the Broncos as they are preparing for the Auckland Nines and they're flying to New Zealand tomorrow.'

'That'll be right,' Ben said, 'did he say when he'll be back, because I want to ask him something.'

'He said that it's a morning session so he won't be in Brisbane for too long and he'll be back for the barbecue later this afternoon.' Melinda said.

'What barbecue?' Ben said, like he had no idea what Melinda was talking about.

'The post-birthday barbecue, which you and your father were going to have with your friends but we decided to postpone it for a couple of days, since you were recovering from that dreadful storm that nearly killed you and had me worried sick!

Your father was trying to get a hold of you earlier but you weren't answering your phone. He and your friends had left you several messages, didn't you read them?' Melinda said.

'No,' Ben said, 'I didn't hear my phone going off,' even though that was a lie. He did hear it but he just chose to ignore it, although he didn't know who was trying to contact him.

'You silly goose, I thought the whole point of having your own phone was that so people could reach you when they need to talk to you!' Melinda chuckled, patting Ben's shoulder affectionately like she used to do when he was little.

Ben rolled his eyes at his housekeeper as he dug his phone out and looked at it to find several missed calls from his father and many unanswered texts from him and his friends about Phil going to Brisbane for the Broncos' training for the Nines, the breakfast at that he refused to go to and the barbecue which he had forgotten about.

'Oh, strewth, I totally forgot about that!' Ben moaned when he saw the messages and listened to his voicemails while Lily looked at the thin device, which she had seen on the yacht and it was the thing that was playing the music she heard and what Anna had used to take a silly picture of them, the so-called 'selfie'.

She was fascinated by it and wondered how it was able to do all those things and why humans liked using it so much.

'So that's why my phone was going off like crazy and what Cody had said about seeing me this arvo,' he said and then chuckled at Phil's useless attempts to text in spite of Ben teaching him how to do it and he showed it to Lily, who screwed up her face at seeing the strange words on the screen which didn't make much sense to her.

'You see, Lily, this is why modern technology is wasted on oldies,' said Ben, smirking as he said it.

'No matter how many times I have taught Dad to text, he still doesn't get it and mucks up his words so you don't even know what he is saying half the time! Even Melinda is a better texter than him!'

'Oh, sorry, I haven't even introduced you to Melinda yet!' he then said, mentally cursing himself for forgetting to introduce his new house guest, who was still wearing the curtain that had a talking English crab hiding in it, to Melinda and to convince her to let Lily stay with him, even though he knew that she would say yes.

'Melinda, this is Lily, a girl I found on the beach when I was taking Ruby for her walk this morning,' Ben said, as Melinda approached the girl who smiled nervously but the woman smiled kindly at her, which made her feel at ease,

'Lily, this is my housekeeper, Melinda.' Ben then said.

'Hello, Lily, it's very nice to meet you,' Melinda said and offered her hand for Lily to shake but the former mermaid looked at it like it was some sort of foreign thing and was unsure about what to do.

'Shake her hand, Lily,' Ben whispered to her and moved his hand up and down to mimic the way humans greeted each other and Lily took Melinda's hand and shook it perhaps a little too much but the kindly woman didn't mind at all, not even when Lily was unable to respond to her.

'Oh, she doesn't talk?' Melinda said, but not unkindly, 'then how come you knew her name?'

'She's mute but she wrote it down for me on the sand,' Ben said, 'and she's the sole survivor of a shipwreck from a terrible storm which is why she was on the beach and she was wearing a floral print curtain when Ruby and I found her.'

'Washed up from a shipwreck,' Melinda said, sympathetically as she patted Lily's shoulder, 'oh, you poor love, that must have been traumatic for you.'

'She's been through an awful lot, Melinda and she's all alone and doesn't have anyone. I know that it'll be alright with you but maybe not with Dad, I'll ask him when he gets back, but I was wondering if she could stay with us.' Ben said, squeezing Lily's hand which made her feel all tingly inside.

'Oh, love, of course she can!' Melinda said, 'and I'm sure that your father won't mind as well, since he's going away tomorrow.'

'Thanks, Melinda, you're the best,' Ben said, smiling at his housekeeper, delighted that his new friend would be staying with him.

'That's alright, love, she can stay as long as she needs to and I will have to get one of the spare rooms ready, but that will be no trouble at all!

Besides it'll be lovely to have such a nice and polite house guest around, well, for a mute girl anyway! And she'll need a warm bath and some nice clothes to wear but I'm sure Mia, Grace and Anna can help you out there.' Melinda said.

Lily smiled at hearing the good news and walked over to hug Melinda as a way of saying 'thank you' to her.

'You're welcome, love, it'll be a pleasure having you and Ben is certainly fond of you, even though he seems focused on finding that mysterious girl who he says saved him from drowning..' Melinda said.

'Anyway, Melinda, I'll text the girls to see if they have any spare clothes that Lily can wear,' Ben said, which cut the housekeeper's sentence short, 'at least until I find some time to take her shopping. I know Mia will be happy to help out, she's good like that and Lily seems to be her size.

Grace, maybe but she's a little bit bigger than Lily but I'm not expecting any miracles from Anna as she'll say that her stuff is 'too nice' to give away since it's just stupid expensive designer stuff, but I'll give it a shot,' Ben said as he took out his phone and started texting his friends.

'In the meantime, I'll get a nice warm bath started for you, love, in the master ensuite,' Melinda said to Lily, 'and get your bedroom ready. It has its own ensuite like all the other rooms do but I thought that you might like to use the grand one since Mr Steele hardly ever uses it.

Come on, love, we'll have you feeling better in no time,' Melinda said and Lily followed the kind housekeeper out of the kitchen, as Ben smiled at her, clearly happier than he had been this morning.

He was really starting to like this girl, even if she may not be the one who saved him but he was happy that he made a new friend.

* * *

In the master ensuite, which was connected to Phil's bedroom, that he hardly ever used, Lily smiled as she relaxed in the nice hot, soapy water in what was called a 'bath' and smelled the pleasant scents of jasmine and ylang ylang which was from the bath oil that Melinda had put in for her as the housekeeper left to prepare one of the spare bedrooms for Ben's house guest.

Lily scooped up a few bubbles in her hands and gently blew them in the air as she heard the intercom buzz and the voices of Ben and a girl which she assumed was one of his friends downstairs,

'Hey, Ben, I managed to find some clothes for the girl that I bought a couple of days ago that I have never worn and they should fit her.

Grace did find some clothes but she thought that they would be too big for her and Anna said that all the stuff she had was too nice to give away and didn't want them wasted on a mute girl,' the girl said.

'Aw, thanks Mia, you're a doll,' Ben said.

'No worries, Ben, I hope the girl will like them and I'm looking forward to meeting her later,' Mia said, 'everyone's talking about her and I hear that's she's really nice even though she's mute and that you really like her.

Anyway, I better get going as I promised Mum that I would look after my little sister while she goes out shopping. I'll see you later at the barbecue, Ben.'

'See ya, Mia and thanks again,' Ben said, as the door closed behind her and a car drove off in the distance and his footsteps were heard coming up the stairs as he went to his room.

Still in the bathroom, Lily smelt the bottle of bath oil and was enriched by the scent of jasmine, just as Melinda was coming in, carrying a pile of clothes that Mia had just dropped off and a fluffy white towel.

'Here we go, love, some nice clothes that Ben's friend, Mia has very kindly given you to wear which should fit and a nice towel to dry yourself off and your room's all ready for you,' Melinda said as Lily nodded her thanks and Melinda put the pile on a nearby stool and knelt beside the bath.

She then poured some water over Lily's head and gently washed her hair with some liquid called 'shampoo' and Lily closed her eyes, feeling relaxed as Melinda's fingers ran the sweet smelling frothy liquid through her hair. This was something that Violet would have certainly enjoyed if she had been here.

'Don't you worry, you'll soon be all nice and clean and have something pretty to wear for the barbecue so you can get to know Ben a bit better and meet his friends.' Melinda said, rinsing the shampoo out of Lily's hair and hummed to herself as she walked over to where the curtain lay on the floor.

Senna, still hiding in the fabric and having gone unnoticed for some time, peeked out from the flap she was in, but gasped and hid back in the curtain, just as Melinda reached out to grab it and she wrinkled her nose at it.

'I don't think that curtains are an acceptable substitute for dresses these days,' Melinda said, as she made a slightly disgusted face at the baby-blue curtain with its gaudy rose pattern, like it had some contagious disease and held it as far away from her as possible.

'I'll just…get this washed for you,' she said, faltering,

'Actually,' as she took another look at it, 'that looks like one of Joyce's curtains.'

'She had said that a seagull had flown in her house earlier this morning and nicked it when she wasn't looking. I'd better return it to her; otherwise she'll be spitting the dummy.

Won't be too long, love, I just need to take this to the laundry room,' Melinda said to Lily, as she watched the housekeeper leave and she realised that Senna was still in the curtain as Melinda was carrying her away and the crab peeked out again with a nervous look in her eyes, not knowing where she was going.

* * *

In the laundry room, Senna coughed and spluttered as she, along with the curtain, was thrown into a huge basin filled with water and Melinda put half a scoop of washing powder in the water, which Senna accidently swallowed.

She coughed up the horrible-tasting powder and hiccupped up some bubbles as she struggled to get out of the basin while the curtain was left to soak and Melinda was busy gathering up a pile of dirty laundry from a basket that was at the bottom of a chute.

Flailing her claws uselessly as she tried to get out of the basin, much like Lily did when she got her legs; Senna eventually managed to escape and jumped off the edge…only to fall into the basket of laundry just as Melinda was loading it into the washing machine.

'Oh no,' Senna moaned as she tried to get out but she was buried under some T-shirts and the crab gagged at the awful odour as the pile was picked up by Melinda and thrown into the washing machine and the door closed, trapping Senna inside.

Senna pounded on the door with her claws but Melinda took no notice as she turned the machine on and poor Senna felt that she was in a vicious whirlpool as the laundry spun around her which seemed never-ending until the cycle finished a few minutes later and the crab was dizzy and disorientated from her ordeal but still in one piece as Melinda placed her and the laundry in the basket and carried it away to be hung on the line outside.

* * *

 _Oh, poor Senna! If you thought Sebastian's experience with laundry was bad, it pales in comparison!_

 _Also, in case you didn't know, the Auckland Nines is a rugby league nines tournament which involves all of the NRL clubs that is held in Auckland in New Zealand in January-February each year, so I thought that my home country should get a mention in this story!_

 _Read and review and let me know who your favourite characters are!_


	12. The Barbecue and New Friends

Senna wriggled her way out of the pile of laundry while Melinda was hanging it out on the line and humming merrily to herself, oblivious to the little crab that was carefully walking sideways to avoid being trodden on as the housekeeper finished with the washing and walked back inside the house, right in Senna's path as the crab gulped at seeing the huge feet that were about to squash her.

'Excuse me, madam, but would you be so kind as to please not step on me?' Senna said as Melinda's feet came close to her, as loudly as she could but was still in her prim and proper English accent.

But her voice, as loud as it was underwater, could barely be heard as Melinda took no notice and Senna had to duck and dodge each step she made so that she wouldn't be trodden on before she was free and hid behind a flowerpot near the door.

'What a cheek!' Senna muttered to herself and she was steaming from both the heat and her ordeal in the laundry room.

'That human woman has no respect for a crab of my status! First, she throws me into that tub with that foul-tasting powder and then I get chucked into that ghastly whirlpool and nearly hung out to dry, literally and almost got trodden on!

Why does Lily want to be in this world if that woman, whatever she is, treats crabs like that? I just hope that she appreciates what I am doing for her in this suicide mission!' Senna said.

She watched from the flowerpot, as Melinda kept going in and out of the house, bringing out platters of nibbles and drinks for the barbecue and placing them on the tables and in a strange silver thing that had ice in it, which was keeping the drinks cold in the heat.

'Right, the coast is clear,' Senna then said, as she saw Melinda disappear inside, 'I better go and see how Lily is doing. I hope that she's having a better time than me.'

No sooner had she started walking towards the open door, several cars pulled up from outside the house along with noisy chatter and laughter which were coming from Ben's friends who were carrying platters of food and boxes of beer and drink and the buzz of the intercom was heard from the foyer.

'Oh, no, not more humans,' Senna muttered.

'Ben, your friends are here!' Melinda's voice called from inside the house, 'I'm just going upstairs to check on your little friend to see if she needs help getting dressed. Take them out to the outdoor area.'

'Alright, be down in a minute,' Ben's voice replied.

Senna then started to make her way inside the house since both Ben and Melinda would be distracted by the coming guests as the loud voices came closer and the crab was soon greeted with several pairs of feet that scooped her up as they walked towards to the outdoor area and pool.

'Blooming heck, don't humans look where they are going?' Senna moaned as she ducked and dodged and then tossed around, like she was in the washing machine, against the thongs, sneakers and sandals which threatened to squash and break her and her shell.

'Excuse me,' she said, waving her claws around to get their attention.

'Would you kindly refrain from squashing me with those clunky things on your feet and woe betide you if you trample on Aquaria's distinguished court composer!'

But it fell on deaf ears, as the loud chatter of Ben and his friends drowned out Senna as she bounced against their feet and waved through their ankles like she was in a maze until one foot brushed her away and she was sent flying into the ice bucket which made her shiver at feeling the fast melting ice on her.

'At least the worst is over,' Senna said, shivering on the ice, 'things can only get better from here.'

* * *

The barbecue was in full swing as the late afternoon sun shone down and there was no breeze in the cloudless blue sky, which was unlike the night of the party when the storm hit, that had put many lives on the line and it was a very casual and relaxed affair with the guests eating, drinking and chatting.

Ruby was hanging around the barbecue, hoping to get a bit of steak or a meat patty that would fall on the ground only none were but she wasn't to be deterred as she waited patiently for her snack.

Phil, home from Brisbane, was cooking the meat with Ben helping him but he was looking at the ocean as he sipped his beer, thinking about his mystery girl for the umpteenth time and not really paying attention, not even when his father asked him to pass him the steaks or the pack of sausages that were near him.

Cody, Adam and Matt were playing cricket on the wide strip of grass near the pool while drinking beer and hit the ball over into the house next door, breaking both the glass panels surrounding the patio and the neighbour's spirits as he approached the fence with a very angry look on his face.

'Bloody kids!' He yelled as he threw the offending ball back to the boys, who grinned sheepishly, 'stop hitting your bloody balls into my yard!'

'Those panels cost me and the missus a lot and even more so to replace! Stupid kids, always running wild at that place when Steely isn't around..'

'Sorry, oldie, it was an accident and if you don't like it, rack off!' Cody said as he and the others grinned sheepishly and resumed their game as the neighbour huffed and went back inside his house.

Oddly, Phil didn't notice that his neighbour had been spitting tacks about his son's friends causing damage to his property but since the man was a misery and was always complaining about the slightest things, he simply shrugged it off and continued cooking.

Mia, Anna and Grace rolled their eyes at the boys as they sat near the pool with their feet in the water, sipping lemon, lime and bitters from the ice bucket which Senna was in although they didn't notice her as they reached into it, while chatting amongst themselves and what they were talking about was the girl that Ben had found on the beach this morning.

* * *

'Well, you must have at least _heard_ about this girl,' Anna said, taking another sip of her drink, 'it's what everyone has been talking about. Ben found her on the beach this morning with no idea of her name or where she came from! How weird is that?'

'No, I hadn't at first,' Grace said, reaching in the ice bucket for another drink while Senna, who hadn't moved since she landed in it, scurried away from her waggling fingers,

'I thought it was a rumour but Mia did tell me about it when she texted me to ask if I had any clothes for her to wear and Jess did say..'

'Jess?' Anna hissed, 'since when has that fruit loop gotten anything right? But apparently, Ben seems to be so infatuated with this girl since he says that she reminds him of the mystery one that he says saved him but in my opinion, I don't know what he sees in her.'

'What do you mean, Anna?' Grace said.

'Yeah, Anna, what are you talking about?' Matt said, 'Ben tells me she's a real spunk, with long blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes like the ones the imaginary girl had.'

'And she's really friendly, kind, happy and very polite for a mute girl who survived a terrible shipwreck and Ben really likes her, so why wouldn't she be good for him?' Mia said.

'I mean, she turns up on the beach literally out of nowhere wearing a curtain that oldies have in their living rooms like a dress and she doesn't speak!

Why would Ben be so interested in her? I mean, why would any boy go out with a girl who is dumb and mute?' Anna said while Mia and Grace looked at her, horrified by her unkind words.

'Anna, don't be so horrible!' Mia said, angrily.

'She's been through an awful lot with being in a shipwreck, which was far worse than the storm we were in, since she was the only survivor and that would be traumatic for anyone!

And she's all alone in a world that she would find frightening and it was lucky that Ben found her and let her stay with him and I gave her some of my clothes that I never worn, otherwise she'll be struggling to get by!'

'Yeah, Anna, you haven't even met her yet, so how can you say that?' Grace said, 'at least Mia actually gave her some clothes unlike you! I would've but my stuff is too big for her!'

'That's because you're so chubby since you eat too much and all my stuff is too nice to give away,' said Anna, 'and I didn't want to see them wasted on a mute girl who wouldn't even suit them!'

'God, you're such a snob, Anna,' Cody said, 'you have no charity whatsoever. Surely, it wouldn't have hurt you to give the girl one of your stupid designer outfits?'

'And Ben really likes her; he's in a better mood than he was when we saw him this morning when he refused to go to Macca's with us.' Matt said.

'Well, if Ben is looking for a girlfriend, he doesn't have to look very far. I know a couple of very highly available ones right here,' Anna said, flicking her hair back in a flirty manner, while Mia, Grace and the boys rolled their eyes at her.

'Anna, you dope, you know that Ben sees you, Mia and Grace as friends and that he's still looking for the so-called girl that he says saved his life yet he's infatuated with the one he found on the beach, so don't get your hopes up.' Adam said, smirking as the others giggled.

* * *

Anna gave her friends dirty looks as she sulked and reached into the ice bucket for another lemon, lime and bitters only for Senna to grab one of her fingers, which made the girl yelp as she felt the crab pinch her finger and looked at Senna, who was dangling in the air.

 ** _'_** ** _AHHHHH, CRAB!'_** Anna screamed loudly, as she tried to shake Senna off as the crab held on tight while feeling dizzy, 'there's a crab in the ice bucket and it grabbed my finger and broke a nail!'

'Don't hurt it!' said Mia, 'just take it off gently and put it on the ground. It wouldn't hurt anyone, although I find it odd that it's wearing pearls since normal crabs usually don't. It must be a rare species.'

But Anna wasn't listening, as she kept flinging Senna back and forth in a vain attempt to get her to let go, while the poor crab, who had gone through many ordeals in one single day, groaned as her stomach lurched from being flung around roughly, which made her humiliation at the concert and confessing Lily's secret to Daisy a swim in the coral fields by comparison.

'I can't take much more of this!' she moaned as she was finally released and flung into the air for the countless time today and she was getting rather sick of it as she landed onto the cricket bat that was lying on the grass.

Cody picked it up and looked at the crab before flicking her away like she was a piece of paper and she landed in the pool, swallowing the water which tasted of chlorine and it was far worse that the powder.

'This is no way to treat a crab of my status!' she said, as she managed to get up onto the surface, spluttering up water and swam across the pool and struggled to climb out of it as she slipped against the edge and fell back in but after a few attempts, she was out.

Shaking off excess water, Senna hurriedly walked inside the house, careful to avoid Anna and jumped onto some sort of bench, pushed herself up and gasped in horror when she realised that she was in the very worst room of a human house a crab could be in.

THE DREADED KITCHEN.

Poor Senna saw Melinda cooking, frying and covering fish with breadcrumbs and squirting lemon juice on them, putting shrimp on skewers and prawns in tall glasses on iceberg lettuces and squirting Thousand Island dressing on them, which made Senna throw up a little in her mouth before she swallowed it back.

This was the stuff of nightmares, what Senna had sung to Lily about to discourage her from the human world and what she had feared would happen to her if she disobeyed the queen but she never imagined that she would actually see it up close.

'Oh, dear Poseidon, they really are fish-eaters after all,' Senna said to but the worst was yet to come as she gasped even louder when she saw a huge plate full of… STUFFED CRABS!

'And they stuff crabs as well?' she squeaked, 'oh, this is too horrible! Why did I even come here in the first place if I was to see my worst fears and my fellow crustaceans being served on a DINNER PLATE?'

Gagging at the sight of the poor crabs stuffed with breadcrumbs and served with iceberg lettuces and lemon slices and unable to take any more torture, she passed out right next to the plate, just as Melinda was picking it up.

'Oh, here's one I've missed,' she said, putting the plate back down and picking up the unconscious crab.

* * *

Ben was staring at the ocean, not really thinking about anything or going over to talk to his friends, as the girls watched the boys play cricket as he sipped his beer and threw a slightly burned meat patty to Ruby, who ate it eagerly as he thought of his mystery girl again.

No matter how had he tried and convinced himself that he liked his new friend and he was much happier when she was around him, she was stuck in his mind and he couldn't get her out of it. He had to find her and he didn't care how long it would take.

'Ben,' Phil called out to his son, but he wasn't listening to him as her voice rang in his head, singing the beautiful song to him, the one that fascinated him and his memory of her and Phil sighed in frustration.

'Benjamin!' he said, which made Ben snap out of his daydreaming at hearing his full name.

'Oh, sorry, Dad, I was a million miles away. I was thinking about..her.' Ben said, dreamily.

'Oh no, not this again,' said Phil, sighing heavily.

'I've told you already that girl does not exist! You've got to stop thinking about her, she's messing with your mind and you're confusing fantasy with reality, which isn't like you at all.'

'Dad, she is real!' Ben said, 'and I will find her, no matter what it takes! I love her and I want to spend the rest of my life with her, just like how you felt about Mum.'

'Ben, mate, I know that you still miss your mother terribly, like I do and that you are a hopeless romantic like she was, but let's be reasonable here.

Young ladies don't just swim about rescuing people in the middle of the ocean in this day and age and then disappear into thin air like some sort of..' Phil said only to be interrupted by Ben.

'Dad, believe me, when I find her, she'll be the one that I will marry in the distant future. But on the bright side, I did make a new friend today and I can't wait for you and the guys to meet her!' Ben said, cheerfully which made Phil smile.

'Ah, yes, the girl on the beach, who I've heard so much about and will be staying here while I'm in Auckland,' Phil said, 'when do we get to meet her?'

At that moment, Melinda's gentle laughter could be heard from inside and Ben turned to see her and Lily coming towards them with Melinda smiling at the girl, who shyly walked behind her.

'Come on, love, there's no need to be shy, everyone is looking forward to meeting you!' Melinda said, urging her gently.

Lily slowly walked outside, while Ben gasped in amazement as she approached him. She was wearing a blue sleeveless dress with various flowers and patterns on it and pink thongs on her feet and her hair was freshly washed and shone in the sun.

'Doesn't she look lovely?' Melinda said, 'and that dress really suits her, it was so kind of Mia to give it to her.'

'Wow, Lily, you look so..so..beautiful,' Ben stammered slightly. Lily, unable to say 'thank you', replied with a gentle blush and smile as Ben smiled back and led her to his father.

'Yes, she's truly a vision,' Phil said, as he looked at the girl, 'now aren't you going to introduce me to your lovely lady, Ben?'

'Of course I am, Dad,' Ben said, 'Lily, this is my dad, Phil Steele. Dad, this is Lily, the girl I found on the beach this morning. She's mute but I know her name because she wrote it down for me.'

'Likewise,' Phil said, 'but it's lovely to meet you, Lily and I hope that you enjoy it here at Bellagio Lodge. It's not often that we have such a lovely young guest staying with us,' and offered his hand to her.

Remembering what she did earlier with Melinda, Lily shook the man's hand, again a little too much which Phil did not find amusing but Ben was unsuccessfully trying to hide his snickers before composing himself when he saw his father staring at him.

'Oh, sorry, Dad, but she's so funny!' Ben said, 'in a good way of course. Come on, Lily, let's go see the guys, they've been really looking forward to meeting you!'

He took Lily's hand and felt his heart flutter again as he led her towards the pool, where his friends still were and saw him coming with the mute girl from the beach.

'Oh, look, Ben's finally decided to join us!' Cody said, a bit sarcastically.

'And he's bringing the mute girl over! He'll want us to be nice to her, so just smile and greet her in a mildly convincing manner,' Anna said, putting on a fake smile as Ben approached his friends, who smiled at Lily and she smiled shyly back, wondering how she would be able to fit in with them, especially with the girls.

Ben could tell that his friends were being insincere and putting on fake smiles for his and Lily's sake, apart from Mia and Grace, who were being genuine but he pretended not to notice as he was too infatuated with Lily as he ushered her to come forward.

'Lily, these are my mates,' Ben said and Lily nodded and smiled at them as they said their hellos and nice to meet yous, 'these guys here are Cody, Adam and Matt,' pointing to the three boys who smiled and winked at her.

'G'day, love, how's it going?' Adam said, 'and what a spunk you are!' which made Lily blush slightly.

'Her name's Lily?' Cody said, 'I thought it would be Madison or Merliah or Sirena or Nixie or Lyla. You know, like the mermaid in _Splash_ and that cutesy Barbie movie with the surfer chick and that TV show, _Mako Mermaids!'_

'You forgot to mention Ariel from _The Little Mermaid,_ you dropkick!' Adam said, 'and you call yourself a mermaid expert? How could you not mention her or the mermaid from the original story by that Danish guy, Hans whats-his-name?'

'Hans Christian Andersen,' Ben said.

'Of, course, Ariel's my favourite mermaid and I forgot about her! How could I do that? Duh!' Cody said, facepalming which Lily smiled at, 'anyhow Ben, did she used to be a mermaid and how did you know her name if she couldn't say it to you?' he then said.

'I don't think so, Cody' Ben said, as Lily shook her head, to make it look like she was denying what Cody had said, so that Ben wouldn't get suspicious.

'I just found her on the beach, washed up from a shipwreck, that's all and she wrote her name down for me in the sand. Just because she's mute, doesn't mean that's she's stupid!' Ben said, rather angrily.

'Alright, no need to get all aggro, I was just asking, that's all.' Cody said.

'Anyway, Lily, this is Mia, Grace and Anna,' Ben said, once he was calm and pointed to the three girls sitting around the pool as Mia and Grace smiled at her and Anna scowled, clearly unimpressed with her and was making no effort to be friendly.

'Mia was the one who gave you your clothes,' he then said as Lily nodded and smiled at Mia, wishing that she could talk so that she could thank her for the clothes but Mia didn't seem to mind and smiled at her.

'Hi, Lily, it's nice to meet you,' Grace then said, 'and I'm sorry about what happened to you, that must have been awful. But it was lucky that Ben found you and it's great that you're staying with him.'

'Yes, it's so nice to finally meet you, it's such a shame that you can't speak or have any decent fashion sense,' Anna said, without any sincerity as she wrinkled her nose at Lily's dress and clearly wasn't interested in talking to her.

As far as she was concerned, her conversation with Lily was over and the former mermaid screwed up her face at the girl's unkind remarks and hoped that other humans that she would meet later weren't like her.

'Anna, don't be so rude!' Mia said, 'it was the best I could get under short notice and you didn't get her anything, so don't be so mean to her!'

'Anyway, it's lovely to meet you, Lily and I hope that you like here at Mermaid Beach, it's such a nice place and that dress looks so good on you, much better than it did on me,' she said and Lily smiled at the kind girl, liking her already.

She then pointed to the dress and put her hands on her chest, which Mia interpreted as her way of saying that she liked it and thanking her for giving it to her.

'Oh, you're welcome, it really does suit you. If you need any more clothes, just let me know and I'll be more than happy to give them to you,' Mia said, as Lily nodded her thanks.

'Come and sit down with us and have a drink, you must be thirsty,' as she patted the space next to her and Lily sat down, feeling the cool water on her feet and Mia scooted over to give her some room and grabbed a lemon, lime and bitters from the ice bucket.

'Here you go, a nice cold lemon, lime and bitters,' Mia said, giving the bottle to Lily, who had no idea how to open it but Mia kindly did it for her and seeing her and the others taking sips from the bottle, she copied them and tasted the tangy, sweet and fizzy liquid which tickled her tongue but had a pleasant taste, if a bit bitter.

'Good, isn't it?' Mia said and Lily nodded as she took another slow sip while she watched Ben and the boys play with the 'paddlelapper' and the 'bounceabobble,' only they were doing it wrong by whacking it instead of bouncing it, which was not how it was supposed to go and she wanted to show them how it was done.

* * *

But instead she stayed put, splashing her feet in the pool while she listened to the girls chatting and laughing about things that she didn't know or understand about but she nodded to show that she was interested and the girls simply smiled at her, except for Anna who was busy texting on her phone.

As she reflected on the day she had, she felt it was going well so far. Ben was starting to like her and his father and his housekeeper had made her feel welcome by giving her a place to stay and she had nice clothes to wear.

And she had made new friends, especially with Mia and Grace and the boys were nice enough but not much so with Anna, as her sullen and snotty attitude reminded her of Fern and she had a feeling that she and the snobby girl were not going to get along but she decided to not let it bother her.

At the thought of Fern, Lily looked at the ocean and briefly wondered what her mother and sisters were doing at this very moment, as she hadn't thought about them since she came on land.

Since they didn't know where she had gone, she supposed that they would be worried about her but considering what had happened at the grotto with Daisy, they would think that she wouldn't want to come back.

'Food's ready!' Melinda called out from the house and Lily shook off her unpleasant thoughts as she saw that everyone was heading back inside and turned her attention back towards Ben, who was standing next to her.

'Aren't you coming?' he said as Lily got up and took his hand as he led her towards the house and Lily thought _so far, so good._

If today was anything to go by, then four days to get Ben to kiss her didn't seem so impossible now.


	13. Miss Manners

Lily soon found that having dinner with Ben was far more preferable than having dinner with her family as she sat next to him at the dining table while they waited for Melinda to bring the plates of food over, hearing the excited and lively chatter around her.

Although she still didn't understand nor was able to join in, like when she was outside with the girls, she smiled and nodded to show her interest and Ben never took her eyes off her as he stared at her lovingly.

If she was back at the palace, the atmosphere would be very different to here, as it would be very formal and hushed and she and her family would wait in silence for their meal to be served and Daffodil would be telling bad jokes and annoying Marigold with her antics.

Lily, since she always sat at the far end of the table, would be out of listening range of the hushed and boring conversations her mother and sisters had and often daydreamed about the human world and her adventures instead of paying attention.

But here, she didn't even need to pretend to be interested or sit quietly as it was far more casual, lively and relaxed than the palace was and she was much closer to Ben and his friends, whom she liked, apart from Anna whose presence was less than ideal.

But she wasn't going to let that bother her as she listened into the conversation that the boys were having since they were the closest to her apart from Mia, who was sitting on the other side of her but was chatting to Grace and what the boys were talking about was rugby league.

'So, Lily, do you like league?' Ben asked her when he saw her leaning over to listen.

Lily had no idea what rugby league was but it seemed to involve the use of the 'passamawhachit', only not for the purpose that Sandy said and she used to have some of the Queensland teams' merchandise in the grotto, so she nodded in response and made a gesture to Ben, as if to say,

'Do you like it too?'

'Yeah, I do and I play it for fun but I can tell you, it's a huge part of my life since my dad used to play for the Broncos, Maroons and Kangaroos and coaches them as well, except the national team and he is very famous around here and all over Australia because of it,' Ben said, titling his head towards his father, who grinned slightly.

'Lots of people approach him when he is out and about in town and hound him for autographs and photos, often when I'm with him, which is an invasion on his and my privacy and that is why I prefer to be alone sometimes, away from the public.' Ben then said.

Lily nodded sympathetically as she patted his hand and realised that Sharla had been right in saying that actions spoke louder than words as Ben smiled at her and squeezed her hand back which made her heart flutter again. She knew how he felt and was starting to realise that she and Ben had a lot in common than she thought.

'Yeah, everybody loves Steely!' Cody said, 'He was such a terrific player in his days and a great coach as well! The crowds would roar tremendously whenever he ran onto the field and scored tries!

He was nicknamed Steely not only as a play on his last name but for always having nerves of steel on the field!' he said which made Lily snicker silently while Phil frowned at her and she quickly hid it by pretending to look at the patterns on her dress.

'Tough as nails, weren't you Steely? My dad told me that you played in a grand final with a broken hand which everyone said you shouldn't have but you had that famous 'Bugger it, I'm playing,' attitude and the Broncos went on to win! 'Adam said.

Adam was the rugby league fanatic out of Ben's friends which was both a blessing and a curse for Ben since Phil was one of his and his father's favourite players and Ben had once thought that he was friends with him because he was his son but Adam insisted that it was genuine.

'Uh, yes I did,' Phil said, slightly embarrassed, 'although I only spent forty-five minutes on the field before I was forced to admit defeat and came off, so that story isn't entirely true.'

'Anyway, Dad was one of the legendary players of his generation, so much that some fans even said that he made players like Laurie Daley and Mal Meninga look like amateurs..' Ben said to Lily, only to be interrupted by Adam,

'Isn't that right, Steely, that you were so talented at footy that Daley and Meninga, amongst others, couldn't hold a candle to you? At least that's what my dad said because you were his favourite player and he thought that no one else was better than 'King Steely'!'

'Well, yes, they did say that, but I never considered myself better than Laurie and Mal as they are legends in their own right and good friends of mine, although Laurie and I are on opposite ends when it comes to Origin since he coaches the Blues.' Phil said.

'The cockroaches,' Adam said, 'and they ended our winning streak in Origin last year, thanks to Daley! He must have done something to make the Blues halt our eight year streak of dominance but we'll win again this year and get our revenge against them!'

'We shall,' Phil said, 'but let's not get ahead of ourselves, the season hasn't started yet and we've got the Nines tomorrow, which should be a great tournament and the Broncos were in good shape after the holidays and trained well at today's session.'

'In a way, it's both a blessing and a curse to have a former league player as a father since I get free gear and tickets to the games but I hardly see him during the season and it's been like that since I can remember but I'm used to it.' Ben said to Lily, sighing heavily as she reached out and patted his hand again.

'Aw, thanks Lily, you're so sweet and I'm glad that you're here with me,' Ben said and Lily was starting to realise that maybe she wasn't the only one with a huge secret, given from what she had just heard.

'I know how hard it is on you, love,' Melinda said, gently patting Ben's shoulder as she came in, carrying plates of food over to the table and he went to help her by getting up from the table and carrying the rest of the plates from the kitchen.

'Bu it has made you more independent and self-sufficient except when it comes to cooking!' she said, chuckling.

Everyone laughed and Ben grinned sheepishly as the plates were placed on the table and Melinda was pouring drinks for everyone and passing out napkins, just as Lily's attention was starting to wane as she looked at the many strange and fascinating objects resting on the table.

* * *

While everyone was busy passing around the plates of food and asking for the tomato sauce and salad dressing, Lily was focused on the silver bracelet around Mia's wrist with various charms on it and what Grace and Anna were also wearing.

She fingered the charms while Mia wasn't looking as she was too engrossed in chatting with Grace, which were of various human things and it reminded her of her treasures in the grotto and her eyes teared up as she remembered how her mother cruelly destroyed them.

She quickly blinked back her tears when Mia saw her touching her bracelet and smiled at Lily, amused that she found a simple thing like a charm bracelet so fascinating, like she had never seen one before.

'Oh, do you like it?' Mia said and Lily nodded at her.

'Why, thank you, Grace, Anna and I have them as a sign of our friendship but with different charms and since you are now our friend, you should have one as well.' Mia said.

Ben can buy you one when you find the time to go shopping and you can pick any charms that you want. There are many brands to choose from but the best one is Pandora, which is what we have, as Anna says..'

But Lily wasn't paying attention anymore as Mia was soon distracted by Grace passing her some potatoes and Lily became intrigued by the shining silver 'dinglehopper' resting next to her plate.

With a wide smile, she picked it up and began brushing her hair with it and smiled at Ben only to stop when he and the others gave her strange and shocked looks and she put it back down while twirling a lock of her hair nervously as they muttered amongst themselves.

'Did she just brush her hair with the fork?' Anna said.

'Yeah, she did,' Matt said, 'and how was she able to do it without it getting tangled in her hair? I know a fork looks like a comb but it's used for eating and not for grooming your hair!'

'It's like she has no knowledge of human culture!' Cody said.

'Well, at least she knows what to do when a drop bear attacks!' Adam laughed and Ben rolled his eyes at him.

'Adam, mate, don't say that!' Ben said, 'you don't want to scare her and we all know that drop bears don't exist, they're just made up stories to scare off tourists and that's the last thing that Lily needs to hear after what she's been through!'

'Right, like mermaids don't exist,' Adam said, staring at both Ben and Cody, who grinned sheepishly.

'And don't go all aggro on me, mate, I was just saying that she was running a fork through her hair, which is one of the things that you're supposed to do to keep drop bears from attacking you!' Adam said.

'Likewise,' Ben said, then whispered to Lily,

'Don't listen to the dribble coming from this dropkick's mouth, he was just trying to scare you. Drop bears are fictitious marsupials that are made up to confuse or scare outsiders and amuse locals, but you shouldn't worry about them as they definitely don't exist!' he said.

But Lily didn't seem to be too concerned or had paid attention to what Adam and Ben had said for she saw Phil holding up a 'snarfblatt' and was about to light it.

'Dad, do you have to smoke that disgusting pipe now?' Ben said, 'especially when we're about to EAT? You're shortening your lifespan by filling your lungs with that crap!'

'Don't get smart with me, Ben, I'm well aware of that,' Phil said as Lily reached out for the pipe, just as Phil was lighting it.

'Well, I'm glad that _someone_ likes it,' Phil said, smiling kindly at her and handed it to her, 'it is a very fine pipe that I bought in England last year..'

He stopped mid-sentence when Lily blew into the pipe as if it was a trumpet, like Sandy had shown her, only for her to send a cloud of smoke spurting out the top and straight into his face.

'That wasn't what I had in mind,' Phil said, dryly while looking ridiculous with ash on his face as Ben cracked up with laughter and his friends snickered quietly while Melinda gave a small giggle and Lily had an 'Oops, sorry about that,' look on her face.

'Oh, my,' Melinda said, while Ben was still laughing his head off before clearing his throat and trying to retain his composure when he noticed his father looking at him with a bemused look on his face.

'I'm so glad that I am a source of amusement for you, Benjamin,' he said flatly, while Ben grinned at him.

'Sorry, Dad, but she's hilarious!' Ben said while helping Lily pick out what she wanted to eat as the plates were passed to them and he was careful not to give her any of the fish or shrimp kebabs as he had noticed her gagging when she saw them.

'Why, Ben, that's the first time I've seen you smile in weeks,' Melinda said, patting him on the shoulder and she was amazed at the change she had seen in Ben during the day.

Just a few hours ago, he was miserable and moping around the house, thinking about his mysterious girl and somehow the blonde mute girl that he found had changed him for the better and he was now happier than he had been.

'Yeah, you never smile when you're with us and have been in bloody la-la land, thinking about that girl that saved you,' Cody said, which everyone nodded at.

'But since you found Lily, you've become the Ben of old and you're definitely falling for her, I can see it in your eyes.'

'You know something, Cody, I think I am,' Ben said, blushing slightly as he squeezed Lily's hand which made her look up from the table and she smiled at him while Phil was wiping the last of the smoke off his face with the others giggling at him.

'Yes, very amusing,' he said, 'Oh, Melinda, come and sit down, you've been on your feet all day!' he then said to the housekeeper who was still busy in the kitchen.

'I'll be there in a second,' Melinda called out, 'just as soon as I bring out the stuffed crabs.'

* * *

At the mention of 'stuffed crabs', Lily's stomach churned as she realised that she hadn't seen Senna since she was carried away in the curtain to the laundry room and she had been too distracted with Ben and his friends that she hadn't continued looking for her.

Her worst fears were realised when the plate of the unfortunate crustaceans was placed on the table and her eyes widened at seeing poor Senna in the middle, sitting on some lettuce with a mouth full of breadcrumbs, which she quickly spat out and opened her eyes to Lily's relief just as she was about to be picked up and placed on Phil's plate.

Fortunately for both of them, Phil was busy talking to Ben about something and Melinda was distracted with serving the rest of the crabs to the guests as Lily beckoned the crab to come and hide on her lap.

Senna didn't hesitate as she scurried across the table, while everyone wasn't looking and hopped into Lily's lap, thus avoiding becoming Phil's dinner and he strangely didn't notice that there was no crab on his plate.

'You know, Ben,' Phil started, taking a sip of his beer, 'perhaps our young guest might enjoy going on a tour of the Gold Coast. You should take her for a drive to see the sights, browse the shops, take her to the theme parks, perhaps..'

Ben wasn't listening to his father, as he sat and stared at Lily with a love-struck expression on his face and his mind was elsewhere, like it had been for the past few days.

'Ben, are you listening to me?' Phil said, but Ben didn't respond, 'I said that you should..'

'Hello, earth to Ben!' Cody said, waving his hand in Ben's face, 'are you in Dreamworld again? Your old man's talking to you and he's suggesting that you take Lily on a tour of the Gold Coast!'

Realising that his father and his friend were talking to him, Ben snapped out of his daze and let out a small chuckle as he looked at his father.

'Oh, sorry, Dad, I was a million miles away. What were you saying?' he said.

'I was saying that you should take our lovely young guest out on a tour around town. You can't just spend all your time moping about anymore! You need to get out, keep yourself busy by doing something and have a life. Get your mind off-' Phil said.

'Yeah, take her to the theme parks!' Cody shouted.

'Take her to Pacific Fair to buy some decent clothes,' Anna added.

'Show her Surfers and all the beaches!' Matt said.

'Take her to Carra Stadium, which is where the Commonwealth Games are going to be held,' Grace said.

'That's actually a good idea, if she's interested and I'll take your suggestions into consideration,' Ben replied, before turning back to Lily, who was looking at the patterns on her dress to cover up the fact that she was hiding a crab in her lap.

'Lily, would you like to join me on a tour of the Gold Coast tomorrow?' Ben said to her, as Lily nodded eagerly and then tilted her head towards his friends, as if to indicate if they would be coming with them as well.

She wouldn't have minded if they joined them but she really wanted it to be just her and Ben, so that she would find the chance to kiss him and she didn't want to do it with a crowd watching them.

'Don't worry, it'll just be the two of us, I promise,' Ben said, then he whispered to her so that his friends wouldn't hear,

'To be honest, I've had enough of these dropkicks for a while, well except for Mia and Grace, since they are great girls, but I think some time alone with you is just what I need. It's been a while since I've gotten to go out into town and I'll think that you'll really love it, since there's heaps to see and do here.'

Lily nodded cheerfully at the idea of a whole day exploring the Gold Coast where it would just her and Ben as there would be no Anna to look down on her and no Senna to scold and lecture her, only Ben, who appeared to like everything about her and if she played her cards right, she would find the perfect moment to kiss him.

'That's great!' Ben said, with a huge smile on his face, when Lily nodded at him, 'I'm really looking forward to it!'

'Wonderful,' Phil said, 'although I am sorry that I'm not going to be around for the tour since I'll be in Auckland tomorrow but I can assure you that Ben will show you everything that makes this wonderful city so popular.

Now, let's eat before the food gets cold and my crab decides to go walkabout from my plate.'

Phil looked down at his plate and was confused at seeing that there was no crab on it while Lily was lost in her daydreams of what the next day might be like and seeing the human world beyond Ben and his experiences for the first time.

* * *

 _Merry Christmas! Here's a little gift from me, a long awaited chapter!_

 _Read and review! :)_


	14. Three Days Left

Once the uneventful meal was over (although Phil had still been confused about the disappearance of his crab from his plate), everyone left the table, without so much as tidying up after themselves like putting the dishes away, which Melinda had to do, but she didn't seem to mind at all as she did it without complaint.

Phil went to finish packing for Auckland while Ben and his friends went to the media room to watch a movie and Melinda was busy in the kitchen, putting plates in the dishwasher and the leftover food in the fridge, so that Ben and Lily could have it for dinner tomorrow when they came back from their tour.

Lily was still sitting at the table, watching the housekeeper and was unsure about what to do but she felt that she should at least help the woman who had been so kind to her since she seemed to be doing all the work while Lily just sat there.

She didn't want to disgrace herself by being a bad houseguest and not helping out as laziness back at the palace was not tolerated at all, although it was redundant since she had never done so much as prepare a snack before in her life and was not expected to as the servants back in the palace did everything.

But she wanted to earn her keep and seeing the empty glasses still sitting on the table, Lily hid Senna, who was still on her lap, in a safe place and carefully picked up as many as she could and walked over to the kitchen but was clearly struggling to do so.

She wobbled around to avoid dropping them which made her grimace and this caught Melinda's attention as she saw the mute girl carrying a large amount of glasses and was certain to drop one at any moment while she hurriedly walked over to Lily.

'Oh no, no, love, let me carry those for you,' she said, taking them from Lily, who shook her head in protest and held the glasses close to her but Melinda was persistent, not wanting to see the girl cut by broken glass if any of them were to fall onto the floor, yet she smiled at her attempts to be helpful.

'I know that you want to help me and I really appreciate it, but that's what I'm here for and it's what I do, I don't mind at all, so don't feel guilty about not lifting a finger around here, you're the guest.

Besides you'll drop those glasses if you're not careful and I don't want you to hurt yourself.' Melinda said.

Lily nodded and let Melinda take the glasses from her that she placed in the shiny silver machine that humans used to wash dishes, glasses and cutlery automatically instead of using their hands and she looked at it in amazement while hearing the strange noises it made while it was washing the dishes.

 _What a peculiar girl!_ Melinda thought to herself as she watched Lily stare at the dishwasher, _a very lovely, polite and well-mannered girl, yes but what odd habits she has! It's like she has no idea of how the human world works, if the fork and Mr Steele's pipe is anything to go by._

 _But Ben is very fond of her and it's so nice to see him smile and be happy again. I can see why he likes her so much as she is bringing out the best in him, which we haven't seen since his mother died.._

'Oh, love, if you want to watch something entertaining, you should go to the media room where Ben is and watch a movie with him and the others.' Melinda then said, as Lily looked at her and nodded, wanting to join him and the others, who were probably wondering where she had gotten to.

'Ben's a nice boy, isn't he?' Melinda then said and Lily nodded enthusiastically.

'I agree, he's such a lovely and caring boy, considering the life he's had and the terrible loss he suffered but since he's met you, his spirits have lifted and he's become the Ben we all know and love.

I think that you two were meant to be even though you've only known each other for a day and he's still hung up about that mystery girl but he's really looking forward to taking you on the tour around town tomorrow as there's plenty to see and do.' Melinda said.

Lily then patted Melinda's hand as her way of saying thank you to the kind woman for everything she had done and who was starting to love Lily like a daughter in the short time they had known each other.

'You're very welcome, love, we love having you around and you've seemed to have settled in well here, making new friends and all. They're a nice bunch aren't they?' Melinda said.

Lily nodded, although she screwed up her face when she thought of Anna, which Melinda chuckled at as she knew very well about the girl and what was really like and she had always wondered why Ben and the others were friends with her.

'Yes, I see what you mean about Anna. That girl is nothing more than a spoiled little miss and I don't understand why Ben and the others put up with her, but Mia, Grace and the boys have certainly taken a liking to you.' Melinda said and Lily nodded again.

She then pointed towards the foyer, wanting to find the media room but didn't know where it was and she didn't want to get lost and Melinda helpfully walked her across the foyer so that she wouldn't get lost and soon found the room, which Lily entered, found Ben and she sat next to him.

The movie that they were watching, which was set in an enchanted castle full of walking and talking household objects and the story was about a boy and a princess who was turned into a beast and fell in love in spite of her being a hideous monster, was playing on the huge screen.

Although Lily had no idea what a movie was or understood that it was only make-believe as she wondered if such a thing existed in real life, she watched eagerly at the thing that humans found entertaining, once Ben explained it to her and she enjoyed it very much, particularly the scene when Rose, the beast and Leon, the boy, sang together in the sitting room.

'I like that scene too, Lily,' Ben whispered to her, 'that's when they realise that they are truly in love with each other, even though Leon doesn't know it yet until much later. I won't give too much away, but I promise you it'll end happily.'

Lily smiled as she kept watching the movie, wondering what was going to happen next as Melinda watched her from outside the room.

'Such a lovely girl,' Melinda said as she walked back to the kitchen, 'even if she can't say a word, the poor thing, but I know that she makes Ben happy and vice versa. I wouldn't be surprised if they fall in love soon!'

* * *

Later that night, when the movie ended and Ben's friends had gone home, Lily was in her room, sitting near the window, which gave her a view of the beach and the yard where Ben was playing with Ruby and she smiled at him as he threw a ball to her and she ran over and caught it in her mouth before giving it back to Ben.

'Good girl, Ruby! Go and get the ball again, girl!' Ben said and growled playfully at her as she barked and panted happily; jumping up and down before Ben threw the ball again and she ran after it, picking it up in her mouth again.

He then looked up and smiled when he saw Lily watching him and waved to her and she waved back at him before retreating back into her room.

Ben's eyes sparkled as his smile widened as he watched the blonde girl he had found on the beach that morning, who had now become his new best friend and had strong feelings for. What had started out as a bad day had ended well for both of them and he was actually really looking forward to taking her around the Gold Coast tomorrow.

He could only hope that she would feel the same way, as Ruby came back, dropped the ball on the grass and nudged his leg, whining and whimpering which meant that..

'Oh, sorry, Ruby, do you want to do your business?' Ben said, patting Ruby again who panted in response.

'Okay, girl, I'll be waiting,' he said as Ruby ran off again and he looked at the window where Lily was, with the light still on, smiling again as he thought about her. Although he had only known her for a few hours he was fast falling for her yet he thought that..

'If only she was the one who saved my life,' he whispered to himself as Ruby finished her business and followed her owner back inside the house.

* * *

In the ensuite of her room, Lily smiled to herself as she stood in front of the mirror and brushed her hair with her fork in lieu of the brush that was sitting on the vanity, along with the toiletries that Melinda had provided for her, thinking about the day she had, the new friends she had made, what tomorrow had in store for her and the chance to explore the human world and to kiss Ben.

She couldn't wait for tomorrow to come and to spend time with Ben, as she finished brushing her hair and placed the fork on the vanity before walking out on the bathroom to be met by Senna, who was sitting on the bedside table with a grumpy expression on her face.

The crab didn't seem to share Lily's enthusiasm about this suicide mission which had so far seen her subjected to many horrors and misfortunes, proving that the human world was no fun for small sea creatures like herself while Lily had breezed through the day without any problems, as the former mermaid walked over to her bed and flopped down on it.

'I don't see why you have to be so happy, Lily, after the day I've had,' Senna grumbled, 'I only hope that you appreciate what I go through for you, young lady because this has got to be, without a doubt, the single, most humiliating day of my life!

And that doesn't include the concert fiasco, oh no, that was a swim in the coral compared to this!' she then said and told Lily her tale of woe about the mishaps she had suffered since she had been in the house.

She told about tasting foul water in the basin of the laundry room, being spun around in a washing machine, being kicked around, thrown into an ice bucket and pool, seeing the torture room that was the kitchen, being stuffed with breadcrumbs and nearly being eaten.

Not to mention meeting some humans that seem to have no respect for distinguished crabs such as that snobby girl who flung her around when Senna had grabbed her finger and had made her feel dizzy yet she felt that the girl had gotten what she deserved.

'And what about those humans that the boy calls his friends?' she said, 'sure, you may think that they are nice and most of them are, even if they did kick me around with their feet but that one called Anna, whose finger I grabbed in the ice bucket and flung me around?

She's a smart madam and a real snob who thinks she's all that but let's be honest, she deserved every misfortune that I gave her!' Senna said, sounding haughty.

Lily raised her eyebrow at the crab as if to say, 'Is that all?' before crawling into her covers and nuzzled her head into the pillow and gave Senna a look that she knew meant 'thank you for sticking by me and I'm sorry that I'm putting you through all this.'

'Don't mention it,' Senna said, 'now, we've only got three days left and we have to come up with a brilliant plan to get that boy to kiss you and that shouldn't be too much of a problem since it'll be just the two of you and you won't have his bothersome friends hanging around like a bad smell.

Tomorrow, when he takes you on that tour, you got to look your best and be on your best behaviour as good Aquarian royal etiquette applies to the human world as well.

You've got to bat your eyes in a cute and adorable manner to grab his interest and pucker up your lips like this..'

Senna battered her eyes and puckered up her lips, hoping that Lily would take notice but instead she was fast asleep, worn out by the big day she had. Senna shook her head and gently stroked Lily's hair with her claw, like Daisy had always done and gave her a soft kiss.

'You are hopeless, child, you know that? Completely hopeless…' Senna said, as she yawned and scurried over to turn off the lamp on the bedside table. She then hopped on Lily's pillow and then fell into a deep sleep herself.

* * *

Back in Aquaria, in the throne room of the palace, Daisy looked anxiously out the window, waiting for any news of Lily's whereabouts and was extremely worried about her daughter's well-being and safety, not to mention that Senna had also disappeared with her as well.

She had ordered the entire kingdom to search for the missing princess, with her other daughters leading the parties but their attempts so far had been fruitless.

The queen looked like she had aged five years with worry lines on her face, her hair was limp and unwashed from lack of care and her eyes were bloodshot from crying herself to sleep since Lily had disappeared.

Although the girls and the kingdom wanted to blame Daisy's actions at the grotto for Lily's disappearance, they were wise not to say so, as it was clear that the queen blamed herself and it was tearing her apart inside and Daisy knew they were right as she swam back to the throne and slumped in defeat and sadness.

'What kind of mother am I?' she whispered to herself.

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she saw the basket of pink lilies that Lily was supposed to have tossed at the concert and she picked one up and held it close to her chest as a tear fell on it.

'My darling Lily,' she whispered sadly, as more tears fell down her face and onto the flower.

She gently kissed the lily, just as Nadine swam into the throne room and Daisy quickly wiped her tears, trying to act like her calm and queenly self, but the seahorse could see the pain and sadness in the queen's eyes.

'Any sign of them, Nadine?' Daisy asked desperately. Seeing the queen in such a state, Nadine wished that she had good news to tell her, but she took a deep breath and regretfully said,

'I'm so sorry, Your Majesty, but despite our best efforts, we've found no trace of your daughter or Senna anywhere.'

'Then keep looking, Nadine,' Daisy ordered, tears welling up in her eyes, 'even if it takes all night, leave no shell unturned and no coral unexplored. Let no one in Aquaria sleep until she is safe at home.'

'Yes, Your Majesty,' Nadine said, bowing and swam off, leaving the distraught queen in her slumped state on the throne, just as her other daughters swam in with grave looks on their faces, even Daffodil, who knew that this was not the appropriate time to be daft and act the fool.

'We didn't find her, Mother,' Rose said, sadly, 'we searched all around the kingdom and the places she likes to go but no luck.'

'It's hopeless,' Fern said, 'We'll never find Lily and everyone is exhausted from all the searching. We may as well give up now.'

'Fern, don't you dare say that!' Rose said, 'We have to think positive and keep searching. It's what Mother has ordered the entire kingdom to do. This is our baby sister we're talking about and she could be in serious danger if we don't find her!'

'You think positive, Rose, I'll think realistic,' said Fern and Rose stared crossly at her.

'As much as I hate to say it, it seems that she's disappeared for good,' said Bluebell, pinching the bridge of her nose, 'but who knows what could have happened to her? She could be lost, hurt, frightened and alone.'

'Can you blame her?' Daffodil said, unusually sombre, 'if someone destroyed your favourite place and your treasures, would you want to come home again? I know I wouldn't!'

'Daffodil, that's not helpful,' Marigold said, giving her sister a firm stare, 'we can't give up now, we have to keep searching for her. No matter what she has done, she's our baby sister and she needs us.'

'Exactly,' Violet said, 'and for Mother's sake as well. Can't you see how sad she is and how awful she looks?' while she looked at her mother and she was shocked at her haggard appearance.

'All those worry lines have made her age five years! And she's normally so beautiful and glowing but the light has been switched off…' Violet said again.

'Thank you, girls,' Daisy said, sadly, 'now please keep searching for your sister, I want her home with us again.'

'Yes, Mother,' all six girls chorused and swam out the room to resume their search for their lost sister while Daisy remained slumped in her throne and held the lily close to her chest again as fresh tears fell and she didn't bother to wipe them away.

'Oh, what have I done? What have I done?' she cried, 'my darling Lily, I'm so sorry, please forgive me, I didn't mean to hurt you. Please come home to me, I miss you so much.'

Daisy kissed the lily before putting it on her lap and then cried her heart out until she was exhausted, wanting nothing more than to have her beloved Lily home with her again.

* * *

 _Oh, poor Daisy._

 _So sorry for not updating for awhile, but I've been on holiday for two weeks and this chapter, the first for 2016, is a little short but I hope this makes up for my tardiness!_

 _Read and review and Happy New Year! :) And another Easter egg, my first fanfic, 'A Beastly Rose', makes a cameo as the movie everyone watches!_


	15. Tour of the Gold Coast

The next morning brought another beautiful day to Mermaid Beach, as the sunlight peeked through the wooden blinds in Lily's room and a soft, steady knocking on her door woke the former mermaid from her slumber, which was the best she had for a while since she had none of the distractions of sharing a room with six older sisters.

'Lily, are you awake, love?' Melinda's voice called out softly, 'it's time to get up, today's your tour around town with Ben.'

Lily slowly raised her head up from the pillow, wiping sleep from her eyes and looked at the object which was called a 'clock' on her bedside table and the green digits told her that it was now nine o'clock.

She then smiled to herself as she stretched her arms out, making a big show of it and was eagerly anticipating the exciting and fun day that was ahead of her, exploring the Gold Coast with Ben, learning more about the human world beyond his experiences and hopefully finding the perfect moment to kiss him, which was most important now that she had only three days left.

Melinda knocked again and Lily, not wanting to be rude by keeping her waiting, quickly looked at Senna, who was still dozing on the pillow and muttering in her sleep, like she usually did,

'..dear Maximus, of course I can compose the symphony of the decade for you! I shall call it, 'Two Crustaceans, One Love!'

Lily had no idea what the crab was talking about and as much as she hated to wake her as she was usually grumpy in the mornings, especially after everything she had gone through to help her, it was probably best that she stayed hidden, so that she wouldn't be seen or suffer any more mishaps.

'Maximus, kiss me, my darling,' Senna muttered only to be gently shaken awake by Lily which made her stir and moan groggily as she was annoyed that her wonderful dream had to be rudely interrupted and the crab blinked twice as she remembered where and why they were here.

'What the.. what is it, Lily?' Senna said, groggily, 'what is so important that you had to wake me up from my dream, especially at the moment when Maximus and I were about to kiss..'

Lily then climbed out of bed, not bothering to make it, which would have irked Rose greatly if she had been here, and ran to the door, looked over her shoulder and mouthed 'hide' to the crab, which she ignored, as she kept talking,

'Now before you go on that tour with the boy, I hope that you had listened to what I told you last night before you went to sleep. You've only got three days left and we can't be beating around the bush.

If you are to win that boy, there is no time for any errors and distractions. Sharla's deal is a matter of life and death and you have chosen to play her game and you have to do everything in your power to win it, otherwise you'll end up in her garden as a miserable, ugly little polyp and you don't want that, don't you?'

Lily shook her head and drew a finger across her lips to get Senna to be quiet, already fed up with the crab's lecture but she was feeling confident about today and didn't see any problems she might have.

She knew that Ben liked her a lot and that she was going to spend precious time with him alone, so it was silly to be worried about nothing and she couldn't wait to see the wonderful world she had wanted to see for so long.

Lily mouthed 'hide' again to Senna, who finally took the hint and wiggled under the covers just as Lily opened the door and smiled warmly at Melinda, who was carrying a new change of clothes and the housekeeper smiled back to hide her slight annoyance at being kept waiting, but she really didn't mind at all.

'Good morning, love, did you have a good sleep?,' Melinda said, as she entered the room and Lily nodded to her as she placed the pile on the still unmade bed and walked over to the window and opened up the blinds to reveal another cloudless blue sky and a brilliantly shining sun and the waves lapping lazily on the beach.

'Looks like a beautiful day for your tour, where you will see and do so many things and if you're lucky, you might also get to go to Pacific Fair to get some lovely clothes of your own!'

Lily smiled and nodded as she picked up a camisole with pink and blue vintage roses on it and a pair of dark skinny jeans along with some simple black flats to wear, which would be good for walking around in.

From what Anna had said yesterday, Lily was very keen to do what human women and girls loved so much, having heard the girls talk about it yesterday and she could also get the charm bracelet that she had seen on Mia's wrist and had admired.

'Yes, you'll love Pacific Fair; it really is a beautiful mall and has many shops to browse. Ben will take you this morning after breakfast. He's taken Ruby for her walk on the beach and was hoping you would join him, but I told him that you were still sleeping and also see his dad off before he goes to the airport.

In the meantime, why don't you have a shower and get yourself dressed while I'll finish making your bed and get breakfast ready. But if you need any help, just, uh..' Melinda said, trying to find the right words, 'just signal to me, alright?'

Not wanting to wait any longer, Lily nodded and went into the bathroom where she faced her first hurdle of the day, the shower, which was vastly different to the bath she had yesterday and she had no idea what it was, let alone how to use it and just stood in it, not sure what to do or how it worked.

She considered signalling to Melinda for help but soon found a knob which turned it on but as she did so, she set the water pressure far too high and the water was freezing cold which made her shiver and she signalled frantically to Melinda to help her.

'Oh, dear,' Melinda said, when she saw the girl in distress, while she was making Lily's bed.

The housekeeper calmly went into the bathroom, thankfully not noticing Senna dart out from the sheets and scurrying to hide under the pile of clothes on the floor and Melinda then showed Lily how to use the shower properly, while calming the distressed girl, who was still shaken from her experience.

'Are you alright, now, love?' Melinda said, gently as Lily nodded at her.

'It is tricky, especially when you are used to the bath but once you get the hang of it, it is quite simple. Mind you, cold showers are good in a hot, muggy climate like this one but if you do want a hot one, do make sure you don't make it too hot, I don't want you to burn yourself.

Anyway, I'll leave you to it and breakfast will be ready in five minutes.' Melinda then said, as she finished making the bed and went downstairs while Lily finished her shower and got dressed, which was much more easier for her now that she had done it twice, placed Senna in the pocket of her jeans, put on the flats, brushed her hair with the fork and went downstairs to the kitchen.

* * *

In spite of her mishap with the shower, Lily was still in good spirits as she walked into the kitchen where she found Ben, who was wearing a navy blue Ralph Lauren polo shirt and light brown shorts and Phil, wearing his best suit, already sitting at the table.

Ben was eating a piece of French toast, using his hands instead of a knife and fork and Phil was gulping down a cup of coffee and reading the paper, while looking at his watch rather impatiently, waiting for his taxi to take him to the airport as his flight to Auckland was leaving in an hour.

'Where is that bloody cab?' Phil muttered to himself, checking his watch again, 'I called for it twenty minutes ago and if it's not here soon, I'll miss my flight and I won't be able to travel with Des and the team! Bloody cabs, always taking their sweet little time to get here when you need them the most!'

'That's typical of you, Dad, you can't even wait one measly minute for anything, can you?' Ben said, rolling his eyes at his father, since he had zero patience for waiting for cabs amongst other things. Phil just sighed heavily and kept reading the paper, but really glancing at his watch and clicking his tongue impatiently.

Melinda was in the kitchen, making pancakes and bringing bowls of fresh fruit and yoghurt over to the table while Ruby was lying on her bed in the sitting area, chewing on a pig's ear, when she saw Lily walk over to the table and ran eagerly towards her and nuzzled her legs.

'Good morning, Lily, how are you today?' Ben said, cheerily, while chuckling at Ruby, who was still nuzzling against Lily's legs, as she smiled at him and patted Ruby gently, which made the dog wag her tail and pant happily and Ben chuckled, as he knew that Ruby had wanted Lily to come with her on her walk.

'I know, girl, I know you wanted Lily to come with us on your walk, but she was still in bed! She's not an early riser like us..' Ben said, as Lily gave him a look, as she had been well known in Aquaria for not being a morning person.

'Not that's there's anything wrong with that, but I'm sure that she'll come with us next time, Ruby,' Ben said, leaning over and patting her head, 'maybe tomorrow morning, how does that sound? Does that sound good?'

Ruby barked happily and wagged her tail, while Ben pulled out a chair for Lily to sit on

'Ah, good morning, Lily, so glad you could join us for breakfast, although I'll soon be leaving for the airport, time and Gold Coast cabs permitting,' Phil said, which made both Ben and Lily snicker to each other, although hers was silent.

'Yes, very funny,' said Phil, bemused as he was already antsy about the cab running late and making it to the airport on time, as he looked at his watch for the umpteenth time this morning before he looked at Lily, who was staring at him.

'Anyway, do sit down and help yourself, there's plenty to eat,' he said to her, as Lily sat down next to Ben, who was wolfing down his third waffle and a pile of scrambled eggs which Lily smiled at , amazed by his apparent bottomless stomach.

'Manners, Benjamin, you are not an animal,' Phil said.

'Sorry, Dad,' said Ben, with his mouth full of food and his father rolled his eyes at his son's appalling table manners.

'Oh, Ben, you and your huge appetite!' Melinda sighed fondly.

Since Ben was thirteen, she had constantly needed to buy groceries all the time, as the boy was eating them out of house and home. Cody often bragged that he was the biggest eater out of their group but Ben outshone him by a long shot.

'What would you like to eat, love?' Melinda asked Lily, kindly and put her hand on her shoulder, which made her turn and face her, 'there's French toast, waffles, pancakes, fresh fruit, croissants, bacon, scrambled eggs..'

Lily found it hard to decide as she stared at the various foods on the table, unsure about what to have, as it all looked delicious and she gave the housekeeper a look that said 'I really can't decide, it all looks so good.'

'That's alright,' Melinda said, taking Lily's plate and filled it with food, 'eat as much as you want, like Ben does,' which Ben grinned sheepishly at.

Lily nodded gratefully and she started eating a waffle covered in a sticky gold liquid called 'syrup', which made it taste even better and she enjoyed it as she listened to Ben talking about their trip into town.

'I was thinking that we'll leave after breakfast since traffic will be atrocious if we go in the afternoon, especially at this time of year,' Ben explained, 'and we'll avoid the beach, as it will get really crowded and stick to the inland and walk around town, grab some lunch and go shopping at Pacific Fair.

I know there's lots to see and do but we don't have to do it all today, we've got plenty of time and I think that just driving and walking around town and doing some shopping sounds like a good plan, don't you?'

Lily nodded enthusiastically and since she had three days left, it would give her more time to see everything and to build up to the moment when she would kiss Ben, so that she could stay in his world forever.

She was eager to get going, as she finished the rest of her breakfast and a loud horn soon blared outside, which indicated that Phil's cab was finally here to his relief, as he still had time before to catch his flight.

'About bloody time!' he said, getting up from the table with Melinda following him so that she could help gather his bags that were still in the foyer, and put them in the cab.

'Have a good time in town, Ben and look after your little friend, as I would hate for her to get lost. I'll text you as soon as I land and I'll see you in a couple of days.' Phil said, giving Ben a hug and hurriedly walked to the foyer.

'See ya, Dad and have fun in Auckland,' Ben said, with a sense of casualness in his voice, as he was used to his father being away and travelling with the Broncos, 'wish the Broncos good luck for me!'

'Will do,' Phil called out, as the cab's horn was repeatedly being honked as the driver had the same amount of patience as Phil did and was getting fed up with his dithering.

'And Ben?' Phil then said.

'Yeah?' Ben replied.

'Behave yourself!' Phil said.

'Not if I can help it!' Ben said, rather cheekily as Phil rolled his eyes and hurriedly ran outside towards the waiting cab which quickly drove off and Melinda came back inside and started cleaning up the breakfast things.

'Are you ready?' Ben asked Lily, with an excited smile on his face as he grabbed his wallet and car keys. She nodded excitedly, not wanting to wait anymore and reached out and took his hand, dragging him towards the door.

Ben just chuckled and let her drag him along, with Ruby running after them, wanting to come along but Melinda quickly grabbed her by the collar.

'See you later, Melinda!' Ben called out, as the front door closed behind them and the sound of Ben's car could be heard reversing out of the garage and Ruby whined and whimpered as she struggled to break free from Melinda's grasp.

'Oh, no, Ruby, you have to stay home,' Melinda said, as the dog whimpered and she quickly threw her another pig's ear to chew on, while sighing happily to herself as she looked out of the kitchen window.

'Oh, just look at them,' she cooed in a motherly way, as she saw Lily enter the car, the Lexus convertible that Ben had gotten for his birthday, and struggling to get her seatbelt on before Ben helped her with it, 'they're so adorable. It's incredible to see that someone finds so much joy in the little things that we take for granted.'

Melinda hummed a happy tune as she busily put the dishes, drinks and condiments away as she heard the car wheels and Ben's blaring music from the stereo fade into the distance.

* * *

As Ben drove towards town in relatively light traffic for this time of day, Lily was leaning her head out of the window as best she could due to wearing the seatbelt she had struggled to put on, feeling the breeze through her hair and taking in every sight that passed her by, such as cars driving past and the tall buildings which dominated the Gold Coast's skyline.

It was like riding in her mother's shell chariot, which she often did back home, only the car had wheels to keep it off the ground, was self-powered instead of being pulled by dolphins and seahorses and had many controls that Ben was using with his hands and feet to drive instead of flicking reins like her mother did in the chariot.

It also had licence plates on the front and back, which were similar to the ones Lily used to have in the grotto, with jumbled letters and numbers and the slogan, _Queensland- Sunshine State_ on them and were what humans had on their cars to identify them.

While Lily was still taking in the sights around her, the car passed by the canals and waterways that presumably led into the ocean and Senna wriggled her way out of Lily's pocket, peeked over and scanned the waters to look out for Aurora.

Sure enough, the little pink fish came out splashing alongside the car, eager to see if Ben had kissed Lily yet, as she was anxious to know since she hadn't seen her best friend since yesterday morning.

'Has he kissed her yet?' Aurora said, hopefully.

'Not yet, Aurora,' Senna responded, which made the little fish sigh disappointedly and fall back in the water with a sulky look on her face and her fins crossed in dismay.

'Did you hear something?' Ben asked Lily, as he had been confused about the strange voices he thought he had heard around them, in particular, one that spoke with an English accent and seemed to be in the car somewhere.

Lily turned towards Ben, shook her head no as Senna quickly hid under her seat and leaned out again, while he chuckled at seeing her look so eager to get out of the car and start exploring as they soon approached the centre of town.

After all, surely seeing a coastal city couldn't be that exciting, unless one was a first time visitor, right?

* * *

Ben soon found out that he was very wrong, for no sooner had he parked the car and gotten out, he was being dragged for the second time that day by Lily, who had the enthusiasm of the many tourists that visited the Gold Coast every year as she grabbed his hand and led him down the streets, which were already bustling with activity even though it was still mid-morning.

People were waiting for buses to take them to the theme parks and around the city, walking around in all directions, heading towards the beach, getting money out of ATM machines, eating and drinking in the cafes and restaurants, browsing shops selling many items such as souvenirs, clothes, food, jewellery, beauty products or just sitting on benches chatting and using their phones.

To anyone who saw them, they just assumed that Lily was a first-time tourist and was excited to be seeing all the sights and attractions of their beautiful city and they smiled at her, amused by her actions even if they thought it a little strange that she would find something like a bench exciting.

Everything that Lily had seen so far had been new and exciting for her and it was just as wonderful as she had dreamt it would be, having waited her whole life for it as she twirled happily, taking in the sights and sounds, while letting Ben catch his breath as he caught up with her as she had finally stopped tearing around town.

For Ben, it was amazing for him to see how someone could find so much joy in the average little things most people took for granted.

Like the ATM machine Lily soon saw and what Ben used to get what he called 'money' and explained to her that humans used 'cash' and 'bank and credit cards,' to pay for things like clothes, shoes and food.

Lily looked on in fascination as Ben put a rectangular-shaped piece of plastic which was his bank card in a narrow slot on the machine, punched in a few numbers on the key pad and strange-looking pieces of paper in different colours soon came out from the bottom which Ben collected and put in his wallet.

Ben then took Lily's hand and showed her more of the city while secretly enjoying the way her eyes sparkled as she gazed at each new thing she saw and people who recognised Ben because of his father and his near-drowning, smiling and waving at him.

Ben waved back and Lily copied him, which made Ben chuckle and the people didn't seem to mind as they smiled and waved back at Lily, thinking that she was his new girlfriend.

'Aw, they look so cute together,' a young girl said to her friend.

'They sure do,' her friend said back, 'looks like Ben has forgotten about that made-up girl he said saved his life and this girl he's with looks so beautiful and has such cool clothes. But where has she come from? I haven't seen her around town.'

'I don't know,' the girl said, 'but she sure looks happy to be in the Gold Coast and to be with Ben!'

Lily blushed slightly at hearing the girls' comments before smiling at them as they walked away.

* * *

Although she and Ben were now best friends and spending time alone together, it felt like they were actually boyfriend and girlfriend and it seemed that Ben was feeling the same way too, as she leaned against him and he smiled and squeezed her hand, which made her feel tingly inside.

Before she knew it, the morning had passed quickly and it was now lunchtime, as Ben said to her,

'How about we drive to Maccas for lunch and then go to Pacific Fair to do some shopping?'

Seeing her nod, Ben guided her back through town where his car was parked and drove down the highway past the canals again, where Sandy was flying nearby and Aurora was still swimming and poked her head out of the water when she saw the seagull hovering above her mid-air.

'Hey, Aurora, has there been any kissing yet?' Sandy said, oblivious to the scowl that Aurora had on her face as she knew very well what the answer would be.

'No, not yet,' Aurora said, disappointedly.

'Well, they better get a move on, they can't put it off any longer!' Sandy said, before flying away again and Aurora swam back to the ocean, both of them hopeful that Ben and Lily would soon kiss before the four days were up.

Cradling Senna on her lap, who had been sleeping in the car the entire time and not wanting to disturb her, Lily leaned back against her seat and reflected on what she had seen so far in the Gold Coast.

From the way she was going, nothing seemed impossible and there was still plenty to see and do in the beautiful city, as Lily smiled to herself and let the breeze brush against her face.

She knew that she could beat Sharla at her risky game. She was going to kiss Ben before the fourth day and she was going to do everything in her power to make it happen.


	16. Remembering Lara

Ben soon joined the rather long line at the drive-thru at the McDonalds where he and his friends usually went and spoke into a black box which had the voice of a cheery woman, who said, as he stopped near it,

'Welcome to McDonalds, may I take your order?' which made Lily lean over and look curiously at it, wondering how she could be in the box and Ben chuckled at her confused look, but in a kind way.

'It's alright, Lily, she's not in the box. She's inside the restaurant, speaking to us through a microphone and she just wants to know what we want to eat. But we better make it quick, as other people may get aggro if they're kept waiting.' Ben said and Lily nodded, slightly embarrassed about her mistake.

Obviously, she had no idea about fast food or drive-thrus and her lack of voice and understanding would make ordering difficult, especially since she wouldn't know what or how to order.

To make it easier, Ben decided that she would have the same thing as him, since it would speed up the process and he wouldn't be on the receiving end of the impatience of people behind him, which was already starting to show.

They were honking their horns and shouting for them to hurry up, along with words that made Lily blush at hearing them and realising that he needed to order before things got ugly, Ben then spoke into the box while Lily watched him,

'We'll have two Big Mac combos and two frozen Coke floats, thanks,' he said, which was what he always ordered, as it was his favourite and he figured that Lily would like it as well, because, well, you couldn't go wrong with a Big Mac, as he always believed.

Ben then drove down once he placed the order to the relief of the people behind them, before arriving at the last window as a large brown paper bag and two tall cups with slushy brown liquid and soft white toppings were passed down to him.

'Here you go, hold this for a sec,' Ben said to Lily, handing the paper bag to her as he took out a ten-dollar and five-dollar note from his wallet and paid up.

Lily gladly took it, impressed by how fast it arrived and placed it on her lap, sniffing the scent of burgers and fries and then took a sip of her frozen Coke, which was different from the lemon, lime and bitters she had at the barbecue, since it was much sweeter and colder but enjoyed it even if it made her shiver slightly.

She was also impressed by the way Ben was able to sip his Coke while driving one-handed with the round thing called a 'steering wheel', which was similar to how Daisy steered her shell chariot, only without dolphins.

* * *

After driving through the now busy highway which was fast becoming heavy with traffic, and the food getting cold, Ben turned into a quieter road and pulled up near a beach but since it was filled with people, he and Lily stayed in the car and ate in comfortable silence while music played on the stereo.

Watching people swim and surf in the water and playing cricket on the beach, Lily nibbled on her fries rather slowly and had only started on her burger when Ben had finished his in record time and she smiled at him, his appetite never ceasing to amaze her.

'That sure hit the spot,' Ben said, grinning apologetically, 'and I'm glad that you don't give a toss about my rather bad eating habits, unlike my old man as you saw this morning. Cody brags that he is the biggest eater out of all of us, but I outshine him every time!

I've always had such a huge appetite and a bottomless stomach since I was little but it really escalated when I hit puberty, as Melinda can tell you, since she always had to keep buying groceries for us!' Ben said.

'My mum used to say that I could eat an entire banquet and still have room for kangaroo on toast!' he then said, letting out a lovely sunny laugh before he grimaced which made Lily frown worriedly as she saw him pinching the bridge of his nose and looking unusually sombre, as he stared out into the ocean.

Lily felt uncomfortable as she saw Ben trying not to cry and wondered about his mother as he had never mentioned her nor had Lily seen her around the house and why talking about her made him sad and then remembered what Melinda had said to her last night in the kitchen,

 _He's such a lovely and caring boy, considering the life he's had and the terrible loss he suffered,_ which got Lily thinking. Was this the secret that Ben seemed to be keeping from her? Did his mother die like her father did?

Lily patted his hand, which snapped Ben out of his trance and he gave her a small, nervous smile as he squeezed her hand back. It was her way of saying, 'it's okay, you can tell me, I understand. I know what it's like to lose someone special,' and he knew that she would have questions about his mother as he could see it in her eyes.

'Oh, sorry, I haven't told you about my mum, haven't I?' Ben said, digging out his phone from his pocket and saw a message from his father that he had arrived safely in Auckland and was asking him how his day with Lily was going.

'The old man's arrived in Auckland, now,' said Ben, chuckling slightly at Phil's usual style of texting as he answered back and also read a few messages that Cody and Adam had sent him, asking him how it was going with Lily before finding what he wanted to show her.

* * *

He then showed her a photo of a woman with a lovely wide smile and long, flowing dark blonde hair like his, doe-shaped blue eyes and was dressed in a claret sleeveless top and jeans. It was one that he had got from his laptop and one of the few that he had of her.

'That's my mum, Lara Burgess-Steele,' Ben said, as Lily looked at the photo, in awe of the beautiful woman and saw some of the resemblance between her and Ben, as he kept talking,

'She was a famous model in the eighties and early nineties. She modelled for _Cosmo, Marie Claire_ and _Vogue_ and travelled around the world with her modelling. Everyone loved her for her warm, caring and friendly personality, as she was always willing to stop and sign an autograph or have a photo with a fan, no matter what mood she was in.

She and Dad met at a function after the '89 State of Origin decider which Queensland won, where she and her friend went along just for the heck of it, since neither of them really cared for footy but ended up enjoying it and her friend decided to introduce her to Dad and you could say it was love at first sight for Mum, since she was a hopeless romantic.

Dad, however, was a bit reluctant since he was fully focused on his career and didn't want to be a relationship just yet and thought that a glamorous model like Mum wouldn't be interested in a footy player like him.

But Mum didn't care, she liked him for who he was, not because of his fame and he warmed up to her, flattered that he was the one she wanted when she could have had any guy in the world and their love blossomed for each other as well as Mum's love of footy!' Ben said, fondly remembering how much in love his parents were and how the public and media adored them.

Everything about the family and the significant events in their lives such as Phil and Lara's wedding, which had been dubbed 'The Wedding of The Decade' by the media, Ben's birth, Phil's retirement from league, Lara's death and memorial service, as her funeral had been a private family affair, had always been in the women's and footy magazines.

There wasn't a single person in Queensland and Australia who hadn't gushed admiringly at Lara's wedding dress, cooed over Ben when he was a baby sleeping in his mother's arms with his father looking on proudly and shared the grief and loss of the former model with her family.

Like it was in Aquaria and Lily could relate to Ben since it was similar to what she had dealt with and she looked at Ben, hanging on his every word, so keen and curious about his life and his mother, as he kept talking,

'According to Des, after four years of dating, he proposed to her after the '93 grand final, in which the Broncos beat the Dragons and retained their title, in front of the team and thousands of fans, who cheered really loudly and sang, 'Here Comes the Bronco Bride!' around the stadium!

Dad had always said that it was one of the best days of his life and a double celebration, getting engaged and retaining the premiership! After that and the day I was born, he never had another one like that again,' Ben said, chuckling as he had heard the story many times from Phil, Des and from the magazine articles he had read.

Lily liked hearing the story as well, as she thought about her own mother and father and how much they were in love and how happy they were before the pirates killed her father and destroyed their happiness.

'Mum retired from modelling after I was born as she wanted to be a full-time mother to me as Dad was finishing off his career. She and I were very close and did everything together and it really felt like we were in our own little world since Dad was away a lot, but I didn't really mind, as long as I had her.

She read and told me many stories about mermaids as we loved them so much and it's one of the few precious memories I have of her. She was more than a mother to me, she was my best friend and I always believed that she would be there for me..' Ben said, taking a deep breath, as he was about to say the part of the story he was dreading.

* * *

He sighed heavily as the painful memory of his mother's losing battle with cancer, which claimed her as quickly as it appeared, came back to him and Lily held his hand again, her own heart aching for him and his mother, in spite of not knowing her. It was the pain she had felt when her father had died.

'When I was five years old, Mum was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump which she believed was harmless but Dad insisted she had it checked and it was done too late to save her life but she fought it bravely until she died seven months later.

It was a huge loss not only for us but to the public as they had followed both Mum and Dad's careers and they mourned with us by holding a public memorial service for her since her funeral was private and for family only,' Ben said, as he remembered tossing a white rose into his mother's grave and crying into his father's suit, while Lily looked at him, sadly.

'After that everything had changed for us, as Dad was now a widower and a single father with a very demanding career, as he had started his coaching with the Broncos. He did his best to care for me but struggled to cope since Mum had done everything in his absence. I wanted to reach out and talk about Mum, since I needed him as well as I was missing her too but I couldn't since he cried all the time and went away a lot as well.

He threw himself into his coaching as a way to cope with his grief and he hired Melinda to take care of me. I mean, she's great and all and I like her very much, but she'll never replace Mum and she knows it.

Dad hardly ever talks about her anymore but I know he loved her a lot, since he didn't remarry and had our yacht named after her, the one that got destroyed on my birthday and I visit her grave on her birthday and the anniversary of her death every year.

Even though it's been thirteen years since Mum died, I still miss her very much but I know that she's still with me.' Ben said, tapping his chest and blinking back a few tears.

Lily felt her heart break at hearing the sad story. If only she had her voice, she'd tell him how sorry she felt and how she understood what he was feeling. Instead, she placed her hand over the photo.

'What is it?' Ben said and Lily gave him a sad smile as she tapped her own heart, hoping that he would understand.

'You lost your mum too?' Ben said and Lily shook her head. While she hadn't lost her mother physically, it was more emotionally after the business in the grotto, so in a way it was a loss but not as significant as Ben's.

For Ben, however after his mother had died, he had felt that he had lost both parents at once, Lara physically and Phil emotionally due to him throwing himself into his work to cope with his grief, although their relationship was better now, despite the occasional arguments, reprimands about Ben's bad habits and disrespect for authority and hardly seeing each other during the year.

'You lost your dad, then?' Ben then said, guessing and it proved to be right as Lily nodded sadly and he gave her a hug, holding her close and Lily smiled as she felt Ben's arms around her, both of them feeling their losses of a parent that they loved very much.

'Thanks, Lily, I'm glad that you're here with me and I'm sorry about your dad. He must have been a good bloke.' Ben said and Lily nodded.

Ben loved the fact that although Lily was mute, they were able to have a conversation with her speaking to him through her eyes and body language and he was clever to pick up on it right away, so he knew what she was saying, although not physically.

She always listened so eagerly to him, never losing interest or acted rude by rolling her eyes in boredom like his friends, particularly Anna, did and that was why he enjoyed Lily's company so much and was considering her to be the best friend he had always wanted.

And yet, he still didn't know much about Lily, like where she had come from or if she had a family or why she couldn't physically speak or that she was the girl that saved his life and that she was supposed to have fins instead of legs.

* * *

Once the hug had ended, Ben gave Lily a small, nervous smile and said,

'Well, shall we go to Pacific Fair to cheer ourselves up after all that and to get you some new clothes? And maybe, if we still have time and traffic isn't too heavy, we can have a squiz around Skilled Park and Bond Uni, which is where I'm going to study next month. How does that sound?'

Lily nodded cheerfully and Ben started up the car again and drove towards the mall, which startled Senna, who had been sitting in the back seat and was disappointed that Lily had missed the perfect chance to kiss Ben, but had felt saddened at hearing the story about the boy's mother and felt some sympathy for him.

'The poor boy,' Senna said, 'and I thought that humans were incapable of any feelings other than hatred as the queen had always said about them, but what I have just heard, I guess she was wrong.'

Sighing to herself, Senna snuggled up on the seat and resumed her nap only to be rudely interrupted by Sandy, who was flying alongside the car and squawked loudly which woke up the crab who muttered grumpily and said, already anticipating the question that the seagull was going to say,

'No, Sandy, they have NOT kissed yet! They had the chance a few moments ago and they didn't take it! And now she has only two days left in this suicide mission!'

'Aw, strewth, the boy really is shy, isn't he?' Sandy said, dejected and flew away while Senna went back to sleep, resuming the dream she had this morning and trying not to think about the consequences of the mission if they were not successful.

* * *

Much like she did around town, Lily twirled around, taking in the bright lights and wonderful sights of the hugest place she had seen so far in the human world, the shopping mall called Pacific Fair, feeling the coolness of the air conditioner inside which was a welcome relief from the heat.

She saw people walking around, riding up on the escalators, carrying shopping bags, browsing in the many shops, eating in the food courts and waiting in lines to get drinks, frozen yoghurt, ice creams, donuts that would have made Aurora excited and movie tickets outside the cinema and she tugged Ben's arm, eager to explore and see the shops.

Ben took her hand and guided her through the huge crowds of people walking past and towards them, so that she wouldn't get lost and he was really starting to like the way her fingers fit perfectly around his, though he didn't want to admit it just yet and how her excitement that she had had during the day hadn't waned one bit.

'Where would you like to go?' Ben asked Lily, who was looking around the busy mall and the many shops that surrounded them.

With so much to see and do, she was facing the same problem she did at breakfast and looked at Ben, shrugged her shoulders and waited for him to show her where to go.

'How about we go get you some cute new clothes and shoes? We can go to the shops that Mia, Grace and Anna love and maybe get you a charm bracelet like theirs, since I saw you looking at Mia's yesterday and she did mention that you should have one. Would you like that?' Ben said.

Lily nodded as he led her into a shop called Sportsgirl, which was Mia's favourite shop and Anna had once joked that since Mia was so fond of it, she should just bring the entire shop to her house to save money.

Ben was glad that Anna wasn't here with them as she would do more to hinder than to help with her snarky comments and displeasure at browsing the chain stores, as she preferred the expensive designer clothes from Myer and David Jones.

Mia would be more than happy to help Lily pick out clothes, since she knew what was fashionable and Ben was sorely tempted to text her and ask her for help, but decided against it as he watched Lily browse through various shirts, tops, shorts, jeans, skirts, dresses and accessories.

With help from Ben and the friendly shop assistant, who was very helpful and had asked her how she was going when she was in the changing room, Lily picked out a few cute outfits she adored and what Ben and the assistant thought looked really good on her, as did a woman who was standing nearby while waiting for her daughter.

'Your boyfriend sure has an eye for fashion!' the assistant said when she handed over the bag with Lily's new clothes inside and Ben paid for with his card, which made Lily smile and Ben blush slightly.

'Oh, we're not a couple,' Ben said, 'we're just best friends.'

'Oh, right, I just thought you were as you two look like such an adorable couple,' the assistant said as Ben thanked her and Lily waved her thanks as they left the shop and Lily peeked into the bag, admiring her new clothes.

The next couple of hours were spent browsing several other shops and buying Lily her very own bracelet from Pandora with a few charms that she and Ben picked together and she couldn't stop looking at it on her wrist that she barely avoided bumping into a man who walked past them and Ben had to gently pull her out of the way.

* * *

Soon after, they were sitting in the food court, enjoying a healthy juice from Boost Juice and a rather unhealthy donut from the stand that Lily had seen earlier, that was called Krispy Kreme. Lily had thought the spelling was rather odd but Ben had explained to her that was how it was spelt and she quickly forgot about it as she ate her pink frosted donut.

It tasted just as good as the seaweed ones she and Aurora had back home and was like the keychain she had shown Aurora in the grotto which the little fish had admired.

Aurora herself would have enjoyed the donut if she were to try it and Lily wished that she could have brought it to her but the fish would've said that the seaweed ones were still the best even if she enjoy it, as she had said many times when they had explored the shipwreck.

Hearing Aurora's voice in her head telling her that nothing could beat a seaweed donut, Lily snickered silently, which made Ben look up as he was texting on his phone and saw the smirk on Lily's face that she had tried to hide.

'What are you laughing about, Lily?' he said and she gave him a look like a child who had been caught doing something that they shouldn't and quickly covered it up by looking at her bracelet and at her new clothes in their bags.

'That's alright; you don't have to tell me,' Ben said, chuckling and put his phone back in his pocket, while smiling to himself as Lily's antics never cease to amaze and amuse him, in a good way as she straightened up and took a sip of her juice.

'Anyway, have you had a good day today?' Ben then said and Lily nodded so much that her head felt like it would fall off but it was one of the effective ways she could communicate with Ben in lieu of her voice.

The day had been more wonderful that she had dreamed as she had rode in a car, walked around town and saw many new and exciting things, got nice clothes shoes and a charm bracelet and ate and drank new foods and drinks.

But the best thing of all was spending time with Ben and learning more about him and feeling sad for his loss of his mother, although he still didn't know the truth about her, that she was really a mermaid and a princess.

'Yeah, it has been great, hasn't it? I haven't been around town lately, so it was good to get out and go to Pacific Fair. I don't normally go there as often as the girls do, since they go there practically every day.

I only go there to see a movie with them except, get new clothes and help Melinda with the grocery shopping but I have enjoyed spending time with you,' Ben said, smiling at Lily, while trying to keep his feelings for her inside him.

'And thank you for being such a great friend to me and listening to me tell my life story and about my mum, which I haven't done for years,' he then said, patting Lily's hand which made her feel tingly inside and she had to fight the urge to kiss him, since she couldn't do it in public.

She smiled at him, which meant that she was thanking him for buying her the clothes and bracelet and Ben smiled like it was nothing, as he had been more than happy to do it for her.

'You're very welcome, Lily, those clothes will look so good on you and I'm glad that you like them and the bracelet as well.' Ben said, looking at his phone to check the time to see that it was now three-thirty and the mall would be closing soon.

'Shall we get going then?' Ben then said, getting up from his chair and took Lily's hand again and left the mall, hoping that the traffic wasn't too bad at this time of day, although the chances of that happening were very slim.

It had been a wonderful day for the both of them and Lily felt content and happy as she looked at her new bracelet again and felt the late afternoon sun bite her cheeks as Ben drove back to Mermaid Beach.

* * *

 _So in this chapter, you get to learn about Ben's mother, as she had only been mentioned a few times and you must have wondered about how she and Phil met, her relationship with Ben and how he and his father coped with her death. In a way, you have to feel sorry for Ben, losing his mother who he loved very much at such a young age and never really seeing his father._

 _And yes, there is still heaps to see and do in the Gold Coast for Lily, but that will be covered in future chapters!_

 _Read and review!_


	17. Walkies on the Beach

After a quick stop to the service station to get some petrol for Ben's car and some ice creams that they ate in the car, Lily and Ben were soon back at Bellagio Lodge after the wonderful day they had out in the town.

Ben parked his car in the garage which was large enough to house eight cars, although there were only three that were his Lexus, Phil's silver Audi and Melinda's small Fiat which looked very simple and modest compared to the flashy cars parked next to it and grabbed the shopping bags from the back seat, while Lily scooped up Senna and put her back in her pocket.

She then followed Ben inside the house and through the foyer, which was now becoming very familiar to her as was the kitchen and sitting area where they entered to find Melinda cooking dinner while listening to the radio, that had a dreary voice droning on about God only knows what and Ruby sleeping on her bed.

However, seeing her owner and her friend come back home as Ben put the bags near the table and flopped down on one of the couches with Lily sitting down next to him, Ruby immediately ran towards them, panting and wagging her tail happily.

Ben laughed and patted her, as he knew that she was not only eager to greet him, she also wanted to go for her afternoon walk after being cooped up in the house all day. She then saw Lily and jumped on her lap.

'Ruby, get off her lap,' Ben said as Ruby had a rather annoying habit of jumping onto people's laps but Lily didn't mind as she patted the dog and gently scratched behind her ears, which made Ruby wag her tail even more.

'Ruby, do you want to go walkies? Do you, girl? Do you?' Ben then said, patting and ruffling Ruby's fur as she sat on Lily's lap, enjoying the attention she was receiving, having been on her own all day.

'And Lily can come with us! Do you want Lily to come walkies with you?' he said.

Ruby panted happily and nuzzled up against Lily, which was her way of saying 'Yes, I want her to come, since she didn't this morning!'

'Do you want to come with me while I take Ruby for her walk?' Ben asked Lily, 'I usually take her on two walks a day on the beach when it's not too crowded. She would love it and you can walk her if you like. I know that Ruby certainly will!'

Lily nodded and Ruby licked her repeatedly, excited that her friend that she loved so much would be taking her for a walk, and then jumped off her lap, running towards the front door

'Whoa, wait Ruby, don't be bolting out the door just yet. We'll go in a minute, just give us some time to catch our breath, girl.' Ben said and Ruby walked disappointedly back to her bed.

'How was your tour today?' Melinda then said from the kitchen, 'did you have a good time around town?'

'We sure did, Melinda,' said Ben, grinning like a Cheshire cat, ' and it was good to drive and walk around town which was what we did since the beaches were too busy today, had Maccas for lunch and did some shopping in Pacific Fair.'

'I see that you bought a few things for Lily, I assume, since I know that you don't shop at Sportsgirl, Ally, Factorie or Supre,' Melinda said, spotting the bags and Ben grinned sheepishly at her, 'I'd love to see the nice clothes that she got and I'm glad that you had fun today.

You certainly needed some and Lily seems to have enjoyed herself as well.' Melinda said, as Lily smiled and nodded, thinking about the wonderful day she had and had been better than she had dreamed it would be as she flopped happily on the couch.

'Yeah, it was good to get out and about and some people who saw us in town and the shop assistant at Sportsgirl thought that we were a couple and that we looked so adorable together! And they were so intrigued by Lily's fascination of the little things we take for granted.' Ben said.

'Well, it's hardly surprising, considering that they were seeing the new friend of the local heartthrob who is the son of Steely,' Melinda said, chuckling. She had never called Phil by his nickname, only referring to him as 'Mr Steele', so it was quite unusual for her.

'Speaking of which, your father rang not too long ago to say that he arrived in Auckland safely and he, Des and the team had finished their afternoon training session and were going out for dinner in town.'

'I know, he texted me during the day,' said Ben, 'and it's safe to say that he made it to the airport on time, despite being so antsy about missing his flight, but that's Dad for you, he was worried about nothing and was just impatient.'

'Of course he did, love and if he acts like that at home, I shudder to think what he's like sitting in the coaches' box at Suncorp during a Broncos game!' Melinda said, which made both of them laugh.

'Right, I better take Miss Ruby for her walk before she decides to chew up the couch or make a bolt for it,' Ben said, getting up from the couch and called out to Ruby,

'Ruby, leash,' and the dog, who was getting impatient with Ben's dithering, quickly leapt from her bed and grabbed a pink leash that matched her collar and was hanging from a hook on the wall, low enough for Ruby to reach, put it in her mouth and walked over to Ben and put it in his hand.

'Good girl, Ruby!' Ben said and gave her a treat as he attached the leash to her collar.

It was a trick he had taught her that had taken a year and several dog treats for Ruby to learn it so it would save him the time of getting the leash, although Phil had said that Ben only taught Ruby that because he was too lazy to get it himself.

'Are you coming, Lily?' Ben said and Lily got up from the couch she was sitting on and followed Ben out into the foyer, with Ruby leading the way.

'Dinner will be ready when you get back,' Melinda said, ' and it's butter chicken with rice, your favourite. Do you want beans or broccoli with it?'

'Beans please, Melinda, you know I hate that vile weed!' Ben said, screwing up his face as broccoli had never been his favourite vegetable and often took great lengths to avoid eating it, He would eat almost everything but he had his limits and the vile weed was one of them.

'But Ben, it's good for you and it doesn't taste as bad as it looks,' Melinda said, chuckling as she remembered Ben being fussy at mealtimes when she served him broccoli but he would always eagerly eat her meals she made.

'I know but I still don't like it,' Ben said, pouting, as they left the house and Melinda shook her head and chuckled to herself.

'Beans it is then,' she said.

* * *

'Do you want to walk Ruby?' Ben asked Lily as they walked down the steps that led down to the beach with Ruby in front of them, sniffing and looked up at Lily expectantly.

'She really trusts you, so I don't think you'll have any problems. You just need to take it easy and let her know that you're in charge so that she doesn't walk you! It was something I learned the hard way went I first got her,' Ben said, ruffling Ruby's fur with his free hand.

Seeing the dog's eager expression and how much she liked and trusted the former mermaid, Lily nodded as Ben handed her the leash and showed her how to hold it and to use it gently to guide and communicate with Ruby and to keep the dog beside her as she walked.

'Ruby likes walking on the beach, especially at this time and in the morning when there are no people and I can let her off the leash after she's done a fair bit of walking and she likes to run around and paddle in the water. That way, she doesn't feel restricted and I give her a treat as a reward for her exercise and obedience.' Ben said.

'She may be five years old, which is thirty-six in human years but she still acts like a puppy, don't you, girl?' he said, chuckling and the dog barked happily as Lily held the leash close to her and Ruby walked beside her.

It took a couple of tries for Lily to get the hang of it but once she did, she felt proud to be taking charge of an animal that wasn't a fish or dolphin as Ruby happily trotted beside her and Ben put his arm around her waist only to realise what he was doing and quickly pulled away, blushing and trying not to breathe in her ocean scent.

But Lily didn't notice as she kept walking Ruby, letting her sniff the sand and paddle in the shallow water when they walked to the damp sand a few minutes later and Ben took off her leash so she could paddle but stayed close to him and Lily as they stood and looked out into the ocean, feeling the cool waters lap their feet lazily.

Lily smiled as she looked at her ocean home, feeling the familiar water on her feet, having got rid of her irritating shoes and not knowing at this very minute that the entire kingdom was searching for her and that she had caused her mother and sisters to suffer great anguish about her disappearance and it had taken a great toll on her mother physically and mentally.

But she wasn't going to let that spoil her moment with Ben, who was also looking at the ocean as he remembered swimming with his mother and pretending to be a merman, looking for mermaid treasures, having picnics and building sandcastles on the beach and basically having a good time.

'This is nice, isn't it?' he said and Lily nodded in agreement as she watched Ruby digging in the damp sand that was sticking to her fur.

'I was just thinking about all the times Mum and I spent on the beach. One of our favourite things was to pretend to be a mermaid and merman like in the movie _The Thirteenth Year,_ which is one of my favourites, when we went swimming and also look for mermaid treasures in the rock pools.

There were rumours that there were merpeople that came there at night, playing music and watching the sunset and some people had claimed to see a glimpse of them but they always stayed hidden but many didn't believe them and said that mermaids didn't exist.' Ben explained.

Lily listened to him eagerly, hanging on his every word as she remembered the wonderful times she and her family and the merfolk spent at the rock pools.

'But between you and me, I believe that they exist and Mum always said to me that one day I'll see a mermaid and that she would bring me good luck and happiness, only that hasn't happened yet,' Ben said.

Ruby rolled her eyes at her owner and grumbled _'You have found her; she's standing right in front of you! It's her, the one who saved your life, you dropkick!'_

Ben chuckled, having not noticed his dog's reaction and then said, as Lily looked at him with her beautiful sapphire blue eyes sparkling, eagerly listening to his handsome voice with its enchanting Aussie accent.

'Of course Dad found that ridiculous and that mermaids only existed in fairy tales and Disney movies and he still thinks that today and Des even believes in mermaids, which may sound pretty silly for a grown man who was part of a legendary partnership with Dad when they played for the Broncos and the assistant coach but I still hold on to that belief, as it keeps Mum's memory alive and reminds me that and the girl that I love is waiting for me somewhere.' Ben said.

'And Cody considers himself a mermaid expert and he loves all the Disney mermaid movies, especially _The Little Mermaid and_ _The Thirteenth Year,_ since he shares the same name as the main character and looks like him as well. He's an expert on mermaids, yet didn't know who Ariel was!' Ben said, laughing and Lily smiled.

'And she's his favourite! And he also didn't even know who Hans Christian Anderson was but knew of Madison, Merliah and the Mako mermaids! What a dropkick!' Ben said.

'But that is how we became friends when we were in kindergarten and he came up to me when he saw my drawing of Mum as a mermaid and said that he liked my drawing and that he liked mermaids too.

He said some of the lines from _The Little Mermaid_ and sang 'Part of Your World,' totally off-key which made our class laugh at him but made me smile since it was the time that Mum was ill and I really needed some cheering up and that was the start of our friendship.

Adam and Matt became my friends in Year 2 and Adam, being the footy nut he is, was excited that I was the son of his favourite Broncos player, which is Dad of course, as you may have heard at the barbecue and I had thought that he only wanted to be friends with me because of it and I was wary of the fact since everyone knew who I was and about my parents, that they were only being nice to me because of my wealth and my parents' status.

But Adam insisted that it was genuine, as did Matt, for they and Cody as well, liked me for who I was and not for my wealth or my dad and we've been a tight threesome throughout primary and high school.

As for Mia, Grace and Anna, they went to St. Hilda's, an all-girls' school not too far from Southport School for Boys, which was where me and the guys went and we met them when Adam was dating Grace at the time and she wanted to join our group as did Mia but Anna didn't want to since she didn't like the idea of hanging out with boys but she relented due to Grace's insistence.

How she became friends with Mia and Grace, I don't know and I wonder why we tolerate her as she is nothing more than a snobby, snooty rich girl who thinks she's better than everyone else and looks down on anyone that is inferior to her which is just about everyone!' Ben said, laughing and Lily frowned when she heard Anna being mentioned.

* * *

While she liked Ben's friends, especially Mia, who had been so kind to her and was now one of her favourite humans next to Ben and Melinda, she disliked Anna and as far as she could tell, Ben didn't really care for her either, judging from the frown on his face.

'Yes, I can tell you don't like her either and I don't blame you considering that she was faking being friendly to you, not even bothering to talk to you and just being plain rude to you, not to mention saying mean things behind your back and looking down at you and I'm sorry that you had to experience that,' Ben said.

'But despite Anna and her unpleasant personality, my mates have genuinely been a good bunch of guys and girls and I do like them but to be honest, you are the real best friend that I always wanted. You like me for who I am, not just for my wealth and I just love that we can communicate just by simple hand signals or through your eyes which speak to me even though you can't yourself.

And that you listen to me, never losing interest as I told you my life story today and felt my loss of Mum, just like I did for your dad and I never realised how much we have in common.

I really like you, Lily and although I don't know much about you or where you came from and that I still think about the girl that saved me, which you remind me so much of..'

 _'_ _She's right there, Ben! Look right in front of you!'_ Ruby grumbled again, _'_ but Ben took no notice of her, as he said,

'I'm really glad that I found a true, dear and very loyal friend in you and I really enjoyed taking you out into town today.' Ben said and held her hand which made Lily smile and she leaned against him.

Senna, who had gone unnoticed in Lily's pocket, peeked up and seeing her and Ben standing together on the beach, which was obviously their strong point as it was where she dragged him after she rescued him and where he first met her, saw this as another perfect moment for them to kiss.

'Go on, Lily, there's another chance to kiss the boy! Don't let the moment slip past you again! Go on and kiss the boy!' she whispered but it could barely be heard and the moment slipped through Lily's fingers like sand yet again.

'Oh, ruddy heck,' Senna muttered to herself, 'at the rate we're going, it looks like Lily is destined for Sharla's garden with all her foolishness and larking about with that boy instead of kissing him so that she can beat the sea witch at her game.

I didn't come all this way and endure many misfortunes to watch her flounder around like a guppy out of water!'

She then wiggled back in the pocket which went unnoticed by Lily, who hadn't even been aware that the crab had been talking to her as she watched the sun starting to set and Ruby started whimpering as it was now her dinnertime and she was anxious to get home.

'Oh, strewth, is that the time? Melinda will have tea ready by now and she'll be wondering why we haven't come back yet!' Ben said, when he looked at his watch and noticing Ruby walking towards him and whining as he grabbed her leash and attached it back on her collar while putting on his shoes and said to her,

'Alright, girl, we'll go back home and get your dinner,' as he patted her and Ruby wagged her tail while Lily picked up her shoes and shook the sand that had gotten in them when she had been walking and had irritated her.

She was about to put them on when Aurora suddenly bobbed up from the water which surprised Lily as she hadn't seen her best friend since yesterday morning.

'Lily!' Aurora said as the former mermaid waded into the water and knelt down while getting her jeans wet, but she didn't care as the little pink fish jumped into her arms and she hugged her, glad to see her best friend.

 _Aurora!_ Lily thought happily, _you still came to see me, despite all the danger I put you through!_

'I really miss you, Lily,' Aurora said, wistfully, 'and you look so happy being in the human world. Are you having fun with Ben? Have you kissed him yet?'

Lily shook her head no at the last question and Aurora sighed in disappointment for the third time today.

'Aw, gee, I would've thought that you would've by now but I hope that you do it soon,' Aurora said.

'Lily, are you coming?' Ben called out and Lily quickly put on her shoes and mouthed 'I have to go now,' and hugged Aurora before the little fish jumped back into the water and waved at Lily with her fin.

'It was good to see you, Lily,' Aurora said and Lily waved back hurriedly and joined Ben at the top of the steps, who was looking at her quizzically as he had seen her near the water with Aurora, but the little fish had swam below the surface before Ben could get a glance at her.

'Who was that, Lily?' he said, 'a friend of yours?'

Lily just shrugged and grinned as Ben took her hand just as Aurora bobbed back up the surface and watched Lily fade away into the distance as she smiled sadly, missing her friend dearly but wanting her to be happy at the same time.

'You can do it, Lily,' she whispered and swam back down again.

* * *

 _And here's another long-awaited chapter! Sorry it too so long to update but I hope that this makes up for it and I'll try to update this story as quickly as possible and I'm glad that you are enjoying this story so far!_

 _Read and review and let me know who your favourite characters and chapters are!:)_


	18. Portraits

'And you're back again!' Melinda said when Ben and Lily came into the dining room, with Ben putting Ruby's leash back on the hook where it usually went and Ruby went over to the large pantry, waiting for Ben to feed her,

'You took a bit longer than I thought, but never mind, you made it back just in time for dinner!' as she put a steaming platter of butter chicken on the table.

'Sorry about coming back late, Melinda, we kinda lost track of time,' Ben said, going over to the pantry, grabbed a large bag of Ruby's food along with her food and water bowls and poured some food and water in them which Ruby ate and drank hungrily from once they had been placed in front of her.

'Oh, that's alright, love, I was just teasing,' Melinda said, patting Ben's shoulder as she took three glasses out of the cupboard along with three plates, cutlery and a jug of water from the fridge while Lily watched them.

Ben grabbed two cans of Coke out of the fridge, opened them and passed one to Lily, who took a huge sip as she was thirsty and smiled as she felt the sweet, fizzy liquid, much like the frozen Coke she had earlier only in liquid form and watched as Ben helped Melinda set the table which was laid out the same way as breakfast.

There were large plates of butter chicken, rice and green beans to Ben's delight as they weren't having the vile weed he hated, as he continued talking about Ruby's walk,

'But it was nice on the beach, especially at this time of day when it's not crowded and Lily proved herself to be quite a pro at dog walking! Well, she had a bit of difficulty at first since it was obviously her first time and Ruby is so energetic, as you know already but she likes Lily and she soon got the hang of it.'

'Oh, that's nice that you let her have a go walking Ruby and I can imagine that such a lively and energetic dog would be difficult for Lily to look after but as you said, Ruby clearly likes her and it seems that Lily found it surprisingly easy to interact with her.' Melinda said.

'She did, far easier than I did when I first got Ruby. For a few weeks, she was walking me and she was very energetic, chasing everything that she saw and I found it hard to keep up with her, whereas with Lily, she knew that she was in charge and enjoyed her walk with her.'

Didn't you, Ruby? You liked it when Lily walked you, didn't you, girl? Do you want her to walk you again tomorrow morning? Do you, girl?' Ben then said to Ruby, who was still eating her dinner and looked up at her owner.

Ruby then barked happily and wagged her tail before she finished eating and wandered over to her bed, where she flopped down to sleep.

'I'll take that as a yes,' Ben said, chuckling, 'and seeing Ruby demolish her dinner makes me want to tuck into our own one that you made, Melinda, which looks beaut as always and I'm glad there's no vile weed in sight!'

Melinda chuckled at the last statement and Lily smiled at him, trying to supress a silent snicker before looking down at her jeans to check on Senna to make sure that Melinda wouldn't see her and serve her up for dinner again, only to see that they were wet and covered with sand when she was with Aurora.

She pointed to her clothes and to the foyer to indicate that she wanted to go to her room and change while relishing the fact that this would be a perfect opportunity to wear some of her new clothes and Melinda quickly picked up on her gestures, as she too noticed the girl's wet clothes.

'That's a good idea, love, go upstairs and change into some dry clothes. Your dinner will still be warm when you get back but if you do decide to wear some of your new clothes, be careful when you're eating butter chicken, you don't want it to stain them.

You go ahead and change, love, we'll wait,' Melinda said and Lily nodded her thanks before wandering off into the foyer.

'Ben, how did Lily get her clothes wet in the first place?' Melinda then asked Ben, 'did you go near the ocean for a paddle when you went for your walk?'

'Yes, we went there to let Ruby have a paddle, like I usually do and when we were about to leave, I saw her kneeling down in the water hugging what I thought was a little pink fish but it disappeared before I got a good look at it.

In fact, during the day, I thought that I could hear a little voice in the car that spoke in a posh Pommie accent when we were driving but then again, it's probably my mind playing tricks on me again,' Ben said.

'Like it has been lately, with the mysterious girl that I will probably never see again and could very well be a figment of my imagination and the Pommie voice in the car, which I don't know where it came from and the little pink fish that I thought I saw..

I really do have an active imagination, don't I?' Ben said, chuckling while Melinda smiled at him as they sat down at the table and served up their dinner.

'Just like your mother,' she said, as a thought came into her head and she looked at a musty, yellowing cardboard box that she found in the attic during the day and was tucked away in a corner in the sitting room.

* * *

Lily was walking across the foyer towards the spiralling staircase that led to the second floor and to her room, when something suddenly caught her eye, something that she hadn't seen since she had been at the house and having learnt about Ben and his family's history, she wondered why she had noticed them or why Ben hadn't shown them to her and was keen to have a look and she walked over to where several large portraits and pictures were hanging in various places on the walls.

Lily looked in fascination at the framed rugby league jerseys which were obviously Phil's and represented the teams he played for, his team photos and photos of him holding trophies with his teammates and a portrait of a little boy and his mother who Lily instantly recognised as Ben.

He was depicted as a merboy in the rock pools near the beach with a maroon tail and gold fins and he was giggling with delight as he was being lifted in the air by his mother who was a mermaid with spring green seashells and tail and a seashell crown in her hair, like Lily used to have and all the mermaids in Aquaria wore.

She smiled at the portrayal of Ben and the woman that Lily now knew was his mother, Lara as the merpeople that they loved so much and felt the familiar pang of sadness as she remembered her father doing the same thing with her, especially on the day they were on the surface when he..

No, she was not going to think of that now, not while she was here in Ben's house and experiencing his wonderful world and especially not when her sisters, except Daffodil, Bluebell, Marigold and Rose, blamed her for his death although it hadn't been her fault and that Holley was only freeing her from the rocks so that the pirates wouldn't get her, although he fell victim to them, having been unable to get away from the ship in time.

Blinking back tears, Lily's attention then turned to a large portrait, similar in size to the one of Ben that she had back in the grotto, that was in the centre of the wall and was the very first thing that anyone who was entering the house saw (but Lily didn't until now) and her curiosity coming through again, she walked over to it and looked at it.

The portrait pictured a much younger and thinner Phil standing on the left and dressed in a white shirt and jeans and that made Lily's eyebrow rise in surprise as it was far different to the old, balding and tubby man she had met and knew.

Phil had the biggest smile on his face and had his arm around Lara who sat next to him, poised and perfect as the model she had been and as beautiful as the photo that Ben had shown her on his phone.

Lara also had a huge and lovely smile and wore a beautiful spring green dress with flowers on it and Ben, who was wearing an identical outfit to Phil's and holding a plush mermaid doll in his hands with a big smile to match his parents' ones, was sitting on her lap.

Lily smiled to see the family looking relaxed and happy in contrast to her own family portraits, which always looked stiff and formal with only the slightest smile allowed and Daffodil would always ruin them by flashing goofy grins or generally acting like an idiot to, in her own words, 'liven up the annual Frowning Mindlessly Convention.'

Lily then looked sadly at the portrait as she remembered what Ben had told her this afternoon and seeing that one of those happy faces was not there and it had affected Ben and his father greatly, like Holley's death had affected her and her family and what Ben and Phil were like now was in stark contrast to the happy portrait on the wall.

 _Ben really loved his mother so much,_ Lily thought to herself, _just like I loved Daddy. Both his dad and Mum were never really the same after they had lost someone so close to them. Tragedy is supposed to bring families closer together, not drift them apart._

Like it did for her after her father died but she took comfort in Rose, Marigold, Daffodil and Bluebell who didn't blame her at all and comforted her as they understood that their father did what he had to do to save her life, even if he lost his and that Lily was not to blame, in spite of what Fern and Violet led her to believe but the two eventually forgave her.

Whereas Ben's father threw himself into his work as a way to cope with his grief and hadn't been there for Ben when he really needed him the most which made them drift apart but had since patched things up, although the situation had stayed the same but Ben was happier than he had been before since meeting Lily.

Lost in her thoughts and absorbed in looking at the portrait, Lily then realised that she had been dithering and that she needed to get changed quickly before her dinner got cold and Ben and Melinda got impatient waiting for her and rushed up the spiralling staircase to her room, where she found her new clothes lying on the bed with the tags snipped off.

She first took Senna out of her pocket and laid her on the pillow, just as the crab started to open her mouth to lecture her about her missed opportunities to kiss Ben but one look from Lily, who was in no mood for any lectures tonight and her finger on her lips convinced Senna not to say anything more.

She didn't need to for the crab was clearly worn out from the day she had and she went to sleep on the pillow, much like Lily did last night, no doubt dreaming about Maximus and composing symphonies for him.

Lily smiled at the crab and hurriedly threw off her damp clothes, threw them into the laundry hamper that Melinda had placed in her room, put on a pair of soft denim shorts and a T-shirt with a snowman and the words 'Some people are worth melting for,' on it and walked back down the stairs towards the kitchen.

* * *

If Ben and Melinda had any impatience or annoyance for being kept waiting while Lily had been looking at the portraits in the foyer and changing her clothes (and she was getting much better at it) they certainly didn't show it as they smiled at her when she entered the dining room and sat down to a plate of butter chicken, rice and green beans and her still-full can of Coke on the side.

'Those are cute clothes, Lily,' Melinda said, 'especially the shirt with that little snowman from that movie..what is he called, Ben? The snowman on Lily's shirt?'

'Olaf, Melinda,' Ben said, 'from _Frozen._ You just can't get away from it, even though it's been nearly two years since it came out, yet you can't go anywhere without little girls singing _Let It Go_ and wearing T-shirts and dresses with Anna, Elsa and Olaf on them or seeing its merchandise everywhere!' as Lily nodded.

'But Lily thought it looked cute when she saw it, even though she had no idea about Olaf or _Frozen,_ but she caught the bug and I bought it for her and her own charm bracelet, like the girls have,' Ben said and Lily stretched her arm out to show Melinda said bracelet and she fingered the charms.

'That's a pretty bracelet, Lily,' Melinda said, 'and what a lucky girl you are, being spoiled by Ben today. He truly has treated you like a princess!'

Lily nodded and smiled at Melinda, knowing that she was speaking literally and she was truly feeling lucky, having spent a wonderful day with Ben and experiencing new things such as riding in a car, walking around town, going shopping and walking a dog.

She then started eating, careful not to spill any butter chicken on her brand-new T-shirt and listened to Ben talk while shovelling huge amounts of food in his mouth with Melinda barely batting an eyelid at his appalling table manners, which would have been severely frowned upon in the palace if Lily or any of her sisters were to do it.

But here, Melinda didn't seem to mind as she ate her dinner with her and Ben, which the servants never did back home and Lily thought it was ever better when it was just her, Ben and Melinda as it was much quieter (apart from Ben's garbled speech since he had his mouth full) but still relaxed and casual as Melinda said,

'So, Ben, what are you and Lily going to do tomorrow? There's still plenty more things to see and do around town and I'm sure that Lily would love to see them all.'

Ben swallowed the last of his butter chicken and washed it down with a huge gulp of Coke and then said,

'Well, I was thinking of taking Lily to one of the theme parks, either Dreamworld or Wet n' Wild, which are my faves but it's entirely her decision and I'm happy to go with the flow.' Ben said.

'That sounds like a good idea, I've still got some brochures lying around for Lily to have a look at so she can choose which one she wants to go to, that is, if she's interested but from what I have seen and heard, I think that she would be.' Melinda said.

'Lily, would you like to go to one of the theme parks tomorrow?' Ben said, 'I'll go on their websites on my laptop later so you can see which ones that you may like and whatever you choose, we'll go. My personal favourites are Dreamworld and Wet n' Wild but it's entirely up to you.'

Lily nodded in response, even though she had no idea what a theme park was.

But from what she heard from Cody yesterday, it seemed like a fun place for humans to go to, like the annual Neptune Carnival, which was the second biggest event in Aquaria next to their national day and where she, her mother, sisters and the entire kingdom went to and spent many fun hours riding on the carousels, eating sea fairy floss and trying her luck to win prizes at the games.

If the theme parks that Ben was planning to take her to were anything like the carnival, then she would be crazy not to go and she nodded eagerly again.

'That's great, you'll really enjoy them and I haven't been to one since schoolies last year, when we all went to Dreamworld,' Ben said, when he saw her nod with the enthusiasm she had shown for the entire day and had not waned one little bit.

'Why don't you come to my room later and I can show you all the theme parks and the rides and attractions they have, so you can have a look and see which ones you like,' he said and Lily nodded.

'Sounds like a lovely day out, although some of the rides there are quite daunting, like that Tower of Terror and The Giant Drop at Dreamworld and I don't understand why anyone would be brave enough to ride them.' Melinda said, shuddering which made Ben and Lily smirk to each other.

'Don't worry, Lily, not all the rides are scary, but that's what makes them fun and between you and me, oldies like Dad and Melinda just don't have the guts to ride them, the old man especially after that time we were at Dreamworld and I egged him to go on The Giant Drop and he was screaming and swearing the whole way down!

It was hilarious, especially to everyone who saw Steely get really scared and scream bloody murder! And I can tell you, he wasn't very happy with me afterwards!' Ben said, laughing while Melinda simply chuckled and Lily unsuccessfully tried to hide a silent snicker.

'Yes, your father wasn't very pleased when you came back home, but it was funny, I have to say!' Melinda said and they then ate their meals in comfortable silence.

* * *

Once they had finished eating, Melinda started clearing the table and loading the dishes into the dishwasher and Lily offered to help again but was politely refused and she pointed towards the hallway and took Ben's hand, indicating that she wanted to show him the portraits she had seen in the foyer.

Just before Ben followed Lily out of the room, Melinda suddenly remembered that the box she had gotten from the attic, that took her nearly all afternoon to find, was still in the corner and that she was meant to give it Ben, like Phil had told her to do when he had called her during the day.

'Oh, Ben, before you go I've got something for you,' Melinda said, as she picked up the box, which was filled with memories that had been stowed away in the attic to gather dust and deteriorate with age, as Phil had found it too painful to deal with and thought that Ben would as well.

Ben turned around and saw Melinda hold the dusty old cardboard box that had the words, in fading black marker, _Lara's Treasures_ and he stared at it wordlessly as Melinda gently put in it his arms.

'Melinda,' Ben said, 'how were you able to find this? I thought that it had been well hidden, like Dad never wanted me to find it, since it would bring back memories of Mum and he wouldn't be able to deal with it.'

'Well your father did call me this afternoon and he asked me, as he remembered that your mother had left you some letters, one of which was meant for your birthday, to go into the attic and find the box that he had stored up there and had forgotten about, as painful as it was for him but he felt that you should have them, as your mother had written them for a good purpose.' Melinda said.

'Thanks Melinda,' Ben said, as he looked at the musty old box which contained his mother's precious treasures and tried not to breathe in the somewhat unpleasant smell.

'I can't believe that Dad actually told you to find Mum's box since he had put it in his 'Too painful to deal with' pile and left it the attic to gather dust for thirteen years but it was pretty bold of him to do so, especially since I opened up to Lily and told her all about Mum today, which I haven't done in years.'

'I know, love and I hope that this won't spoil your good mood that you have been in lately but you deserve to look back at the past and find the messages that your mother had left for you. It took me nearly all afternoon to find it and it certainly wasn't easy.' Melinda said.

'Thanks again, Melinda, I really appreciate it,' Ben said, giving Melinda a hug, which he hadn't done since he was little and that was when she comforted him when he was sick, had a bad dream or was missing his mother.

'I'm going to look at Mum's things in my room, but I think that Lily wants to look at the portraits in the foyer first, so I better go to her and we can also look up the theme parks on my laptop so she can decide which ones she wants to go to tomorrow,' Ben said.

'Alright, if you're going upstairs, love, goodnight and I'll see you in the morning,' Melinda said, as Ben left, carrying the box in his arms and the housekeeper watched him with sympathetic eyes, wondering about the Pandora's box of Lara's treasures and the letters she had left for her son, who was about to open it for the first time in thirteen years.


	19. Theme Parks and Lara's Letters

Carrying the unopened box in his arms, Ben walked into the foyer to find Lily sitting on one of the couches and looking through the theme park brochures that Melinda had given her just a few moments ago, trying to decide what one she wanted to go to, before seeing Ben walking over to her and she looked quizzically at the box in his arms.

'Oh, that's Mum's treasures in there,' Ben said, and went to sit down next to her, putting the box down on the ground carefully, as not to break anything inside and Lily smiled as she reached out towards it, wanting to open it and look inside.

'Oh, no, Lily, it's better if I open it,' Ben said, gently stopping her, 'they're very special and personal to me and I'm going to look at them later in my room, since Mum has left some things for me and what Dad had stored away to gather dust for thirteen years in the attic.'

Although she was slightly disappointed, Lily nodded and understood. She knew better not to go through people's private things unlike Daffodil, who had a rather bad habit of snooping and 'borrowing' things without permission, mainly Marigold's stuff which irritated her since she was very protective of her property and had a temper like a killer whale whenever anyone, mostly Daffodil, took anything of hers without asking.

Lily wouldn't dream of doing that and what she had collected in the grotto had been left on the surface, dropped into the ocean or lying in ancient shipwrecks, so it hadn't been stealing and she understood that Ben had wanted to look at his mother's things in private.

'That's alright, Lily and I'll deal with that later, but for now, let's decide what theme park you want to go to tomorrow,' Ben said, as he laid out the brochures on the couch for Lily to look at.

He had wanted to bring his laptop down from his room but he couldn't be bothered and he didn't really need it as Lily was quite content to look at the brochures, which were fairly recent and she was engrossed in looking at all the various parks and their rides, roller coasters, attractions and animal sanctuaries which contained many strange land animals that she had never seen before and sea creatures at a place called 'Sea World.'

That made Lily flinch when she saw the animals being held in huge tanks, thinking that they were held captive while humans gawked at them for their entertainment and she had a terrible thought of Aurora and all the sea creatures that inhabited Aquaria being in those tanks.

'Not keen on Sea World, are you?' Ben said, when he noticed Lily's expression, 'fair enough, I'm not so keen on it myself, standing around all day to see a few dolphins do tricks and peering into tanks of aquatic life, which is hardly exciting but they do have good rides like the Corkscrew and Pirate Ship..'

Lily shook her head again and a thought entered Ben's mind as he remembered seeing Lily's aversion to seafood at the barbecue and going to Sea World, having seen sea creatures in tanks, although he knew that they were well looked after but Lily seemed keen to avoid it.

 _Could she…_ Ben thought, then shook it out of his mind as he then said,

'Okay, fine, we won't go to Sea World, then, but there are many to choose from, like Movie World, which is, as the title suggests, is a movie related theme park and is very popular.' as he picked up another brochure with huge cartoon characters and humans in costumes smiling and waving outside the entrance,

'Lots of movies have been filmed there, like the first _Scooby-Doo_ movie, _Peter Pan,_ the 2003 version and _House of Wax,_ which in my opinion, is the stupidest movie I have seen and that wasn't just because Paris Hilton was in it and she is hardly what anyone would call a good actress.' Ben said and Lily smiled and snickered slightly, in spite of not knowing what Ben was talking about but she looked interestedly at the brochure and at the cartoon characters.

* * *

However, her attention soon turned to the Dreamworld brochure, the theme park that Ben and Melinda had constantly talked about and one of his favourites, which was something that Lily could see and it was every bit the exciting and wonderful place that Ben had described.

It was like the Neptune Carnival, only much better and more exciting and it didn't have any sea creatures, only the strange land animals which were different to Ruby, the only land animal she had seen and interacted with so far and it all looked so enticing to her.

Lily held up the Dreamworld brochure and pointed at it eagerly to Ben, who chuckled at her response. Obviously, hearing him talk about it had convinced her to go and that was certainly the case, seeing the girl's eagerness in her face.

'Oh, you want to go to Dreamworld then?' Ben said and got an enthusiastic nod in response, 'I guess all the hype you heard from us won you over, didn't it?' and Lily nodded again.

'Alright, Dreamworld it is then,' Ben said, smiling, then saw Lily pick up the Movie World brochure, also keen to go there as well.

'And we can also go to Movie World the next day, maybe. I know I said that I also liked Wet n' Wild but fun as it is, is just water slides and pools and my actual favourites are Dreamworld and Movie World. You'll like them, Lily, they're really fun and I promise that we won't go on any scary rides if you don't want to.

And you can see many animals in the wildlife sanctuary and experience Aboriginal culture and get to meet and greet cartoon characters and have your picture taken with them!' Ben said and Lily nodded, already excited about visiting the theme parks and she couldn't wait until tomorrow.

'That's great, we'll leave after we take Ruby for her morning walk, which she'll want you to come since she really enjoyed you walking her today and some breakfast. Dreamworld is a fair drive away since it's in Coomera but I don't mind driving down the highway, I can show you some more things.' Ben said.

Lily nodded while getting up from the couch and walking up the staircase to her room, but before she did so, she quickly walked over to Ben and hugged him as her way of saying thank you for everything he had done for her.

'Aw, you're welcome, Lily and thank you for being such a great friend,' Ben said, hugging her back while yet again trying to deny his growing feelings for her which were going from strength to strength, as was their relationship, the two of them now closer than ever before Lily went up the staircase again and waved goodnight to him.

'Night, Lily, see you in the am,' said Ben and watched her as she went upstairs, excited about going to his favourite theme park tomorrow with Lily, then remembered that his mother's box was still sitting beside the couch and his mood changed as he picked it up and looked at the large portrait that dominated the middle of the foyer before going up the staircase.

Lily smiled to herself as she repeated the routine she did last night in her room, changed into her new pyjamas, which were pink with vintage flowers on them and flopped down on her bed, taking off her bracelet and putting it on her bedside table, with Senna still sleeping soundly on her pillow, not having stirred since Lily had left her there when she went down for dinner, so she was spared another of Senna's lectures tonight.

That wasn't to say that the crab wouldn't be on her case tomorrow morning but it was nice for Lily to go to sleep without Senna constantly reminding her about her missed chances to kiss Ben and that her time was running out, now that she had only two days left.

But there was always tomorrow as Lily drifted off to sleep, anticipating another fun day with Ben and exploring the theme park that he and humans loved so much.

* * *

Elsewhere, Ben closed the door of his room and sat cross-legged on his bed, staring at the musty old box and he sighed as he started to peel off the yellowing sellotape and slowly opened the flaps.

It felt like he was peeling a Band-Aid off or having a cast taken off when he broke his arm playing rugby at school. He knew that it was going to hurt and that old wounds which he thought had healed over time would be reopened.

But having opened up the areas of himself that had been closed off for years by telling Lily about his life and his mother, it was the only way that he could heal inside even if his father hadn't and with trembling fingers, he opened up the box and after being greeted by a musty smell, he saw the many items that were familiar to him.

There were old copies of _Cosmo, Marie Claire, Vogue_ and _Elle_ which had his mother on the front cover and she was every inch the beautiful and down-to-earth model that everyone in Australia and the world had adored, as well as the women's magazines and newspaper articles that featured his parents, all the Disney and mermaid movies that he and his mother had watched every day, Lara's clothes and her wedding dress which the public had gushed over when they saw it in the magazines and many women replicated for their own weddings, now faded, crumpled and yellowed with age.

There were also her china mermaid statues, some Ariel dolls, including the one in her designer dress and the plush mermaid doll he had held in the portrait in the foyer, her jewellery box decorated with seashells which contained her precious jewellery and a smaller box that had his parents' photographs inside, the ones that hadn't been in the magazines, as they were personal ones.

Ben smiled as he looked at his parents, with their laughable eighties and nineties fashion choices and how happy and in love they were as he saw Lara smiling and flashing her engagement ring with Phil standing next to her, grinning like a Cheshire cat, having just proposed to her in front of his teammates and a delirious crowd, their wedding, them standing outside their first house in Brisbane with a pregnant Lara smiling and rubbing her bump lovingly.

The next photos were of a new born Ben in his mother's arms at the hospital, with Lara looking exhausted but extremely happy to have a child in her life while Phil looked adoringly at his new son, seeing a future Broncos player in him, that made Ben chuckle and smile at his baby self that all of Australia cooed over when he made his first appearance on the cover of _The Australian Woman's Weekly;_ him on the beach making sandcastles and swimming in the sea, riding on Phil's shoulders, snuggling up to his mother, various family outings to Dreamworld, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sunshine Coast and Noosa, his first day at school and…

Ben's eyes filled with tears as he found the last photos of his mother which were taken in the few weeks before she died, looking terribly frail with no hair as she fought as hard as she could against the cancer and was a shadow of her former self, with her holding him tight as she lay in the hospice, treasuring their last moments together and it was the last time that he would see her again.

* * *

Digging deeper into the box, still blinking back tears, Ben found two blue envelopes at the very bottom which had _To Ben, on your 18_ _th_ _birthday_ and _Ben_ written in his mother's achingly familiar and beautiful handwriting. Ben paused, then reached for one of the envelopes, opened it and unfolded the letter which was the birthday one and saw the date, 24th January 1997, the familiar seashell border and letterhead on top,

 _From the heart of Lara Burgess-Steele_.

 _My dear little boy, Benjamin,_ the letter read,

 _Happy birthday! I'm writing this letter for you in the hospital, not too long after meeting you for the first time and I can say that I have truly been blessed by such a gorgeous little angel with your feathery blonde hair and blue eyes like mine. Holding you in my arms was a truly wonderful feeling and I don't think that I'll EVER want to put you down in your cot!_

 _Your father is over the moon to have a son and he reckons that we have a future Broncos player in you, although I'm not too sure about that but whatever you decide to do, we'll support you._

 _You might think that it is strange for me to be writing a letter to you for the future, but seeing you sleeping so peacefully in your cot next to me, I had this sudden urge to write my thoughts on paper and I can look over your shoulder when you read this in eighteen years' time so that I can chuckle at my young foolishness as you read about yourself._

 _As much as you resemble your father, with the same heartwarming smile and your cute little pout when you're not happy like he is when the Broncos lose or when he is having a bad day (but I know that you can cheer him up, you won't care what happened to him, you just want him to play with you!) I hope that you still have your blonde hair when you're eighteen, as to have some resemblance to me; although Dad thinks it's ridiculous that we should expect a baby to look like anyone and that you just look like yourself._

 _However, I reckon once you get older, my model genes will shine through and you'll have plenty of girls fawning over you!_

 _If I ever remember this letter, I'll drag it out in front of you and we'll see how similar you and your father look then._

 _I'm getting tired now, my little angel, so here are some last scribblings and random thoughts from a very-worn out mother. May you always be kind and loved. May we always be together forever. May I see you grow into a handsome young man who will make us proud._

 _May you always have blonde hair!_

 _Love for always, from now until your 18_ _th_ _birthday,_

 _Your Mother._

Ben chuckled as he folded the letter carefully and put it back in the envelope, which he placed on his bedside table near the photo of his mother. While he read it, he had actually imagined that she was behind him, looking over his shoulder and chuckling about what she had written, like she had said.

His mood changed suddenly when he pulled the other envelope from the box, the one that he both wanted and dreaded and contained the letter on the same stationery that had been hidden from him and when he opened it, the date, 14th October 2002, a mere four days before his mother died, was the first thing he saw and immediately his eyes filled with tears, even though he hadn't started reading yet.

'No, pull yourself together,' Ben said to himself, 'Mum left you this letter for a good reason and I'm going to read it, no matter how painful it will be.'

He took a deep breath and blinked back tears while hearing his mother's sweet, loving voice in his head as he read it,

 _My darling Ben,_

 _By the time you get this letter, I will be with all the angels in heaven, watching down on you, with the imprint that you have left on my heart and will always cherish. I had wanted to get to know you more, my love, but sadly that wasn't to be and although our time together was heartbreakingly brief, I have treasured every moment of being your mother and all the times we have spent pretending to be mermaids, looking for their treasures, building sandcastles on the beach, telling you wonderful stories about mermaids and being in our own little world._

 _The only regrets that I will have are not being able to see you grow up, start high school, cheering you on from the footy field (that is, if you still want to follow in your father's footsteps), teach you how to drive, see you graduate from school, start uni, see you get married and have children, all those precious milestones that I will never get to see._

 _Remember when you asked me if you will ever see a mermaid in your lifetime, when we talked about them and believed that they existed? Well, one day, you will indeed find a mermaid and she will bring you good luck and happiness and that the right girl for you will be waiting somewhere. That way, it will keep my memory alive and you will always think of me whenever you see a mermaid._

 _I also want you and your father to be there for each other. Although he has been away a lot, he loves you very much and he'll need to be a tower of strength and to be there when you need him the most, even though I won't be._

 _Although I will never see you grow up, I know that you will make me proud in whatever you decide to do, whether you are a mini-version of your father or just your own person, which I know you are and if you do indeed find someone special, I hope that she will be the one that makes you happy and that it is true love, as that is what I want from you, to find someone for love, just like I did with your father._

 _Finally, whenever you're feeling sad, lonely or frightened, look up to the sky and I'll be looking down on you. Remember that I will always be with you, even if not physically and don't ever feel that you are alone because you aren't and never will be._

 _Remember all the good times we had together and you will find your mermaid and true love one day and may all your dreams come true._

 _Lots and lots and lots and lots of love forever,_

 _Mummy._

* * *

The last sentences were soon blurred as Ben's tears dripped down on the page. He hadn't been sure when he started crying, but once he had started reading his mother's last letter, he couldn't stop and he was glad that he was the only one in his room so that no one could see him cry the tears that he hadn't shed since his mother died and had held back during the day when he had remembered his mother and told Lily about her.

'Oh, Mum,' he managed to choke, as he picked up the photo of her from his bedside table and hugged it, 'I miss you so much, I had always believed that you would always be there for me and I really need you now. I'm just…so confused right now.

I just read your letters to me and you had told me that I should find the right girl for me and that I would see the mermaid that would bring me the good luck and happiness that you said.

Two days ago, I nearly drowned on my birthday when our yacht that Dad named after you broke up on the ocean in a terrible storm and I was rescued by a mysterious yet beautiful girl who had the most beautiful voice as she sang to me.

She disappeared after I regained consciousness and I just couldn't get her or her voice out of my head. I looked all over for her and Dad and my friends thought that I was crazy since she was nothing more than an illusion but I know she's real but I just can't find her.'

Ben swallowed and blinked back tears as he thought of Lily,

'I may not have found her but I did find someone else… I found this girl on the beach, dressed in a curtain. She appeared literally out of nowhere without saying a word, the only survivor of a shipwreck and she is beautiful, I have to admit, just like my mysterious girl.

But she's so..unusual! Like last night, she came to the post-birthday barbecue we had and she was fascinated by Mia's charm bracelet like she had never seen one before, started brushing her hair with a fork and blew into Dad's pipe like she was mistaking it for a trumpet!

It's like she has absolutely no knowledge of how our world works and the human way of life! But everyone in town and at Pacific Fair mistook us for a couple when I took her out into and bought her some clothes and I do have these growing feelings for her but the weirdest thing of all…there is something _familiar_ about her but I just don't know what!' Ben said, flopping down on his bed, while still holding the photo close to him.

He then composed himself and went over to his wide window, which gave him a perfect view of the beach and a beautiful starry sky, with one particular star shining brighter than the others. It was as if his mother had heard him and was indeed looking down at him like she had said in the letter and telling him,

 _Follow your heart, Ben and remember what I said. Look at how much happier you are with her and all the good luck you're having since she came, in fact if I didn't know any better, I say that you have found your mermaid._

'You're right, Mum,' Ben said, smiling, 'well, maybe not about the mermaid but you're right about Lily. I am much happier with her, as the guys had noticed when they met her and after my near-drowning, my luck has changed for the better.

I'm taking her to Dreamworld tomorrow and you should've have seen her when we went into town today! Everything she saw excited and fascinated her, even the little things like a bench or rubbish bin! What we take for granted, she took joy in! Who knows how she'll react when she goes to a theme park for the first time tomorrow!

Speaking of which, I better get some sleep as I'm driving all the way to Coomera tomorrow but thank you for your letters, Mum and for making me feel better. Love you lots!' Ben said, blowing a kiss towards the sky.

He then went back to his bed, putting the box on the floor and the photo and letters on the bedside table, kissing the photo before turning out the light and fell asleep, feeling good again and excited about taking Lily to Dreamworld.


	20. Lily's Memories

That night as Lily slept, her mind was in a reminiscent mood due to the day's events and Ben opening up to her about his past and her own childhood memories came flooding back to her, some that she had long since forgotten but had been reawakened by recent events.

Some were of Daffodil clowning around and telling her silly stories and bad jokes to make her laugh when she was feeling sad; Rose and Marigold reading bedtime stories with each one telling the other that they were doing it wrong; Daffodil bickering with Marigold and the two getting into an ugly argument when she had taken Marigold's favourite doll, Shellilina for the countless time.

Daffodil leaving her bed unmade and leaving messes around for Rose to clean up, playing hide and seek with her parents and sisters, playing the piano with Daisy and Holley proudly looking on, watching her sisters taking part in the national day concert and wishing she was on stage with them.

She also remembered Fern's change in personality from happy-go-lucky to moody and withdrawn after their father died and Fern, along with Violet, blaming her for it; climbing into Marigold's bed after a bad dream and the older mermaid comforting her and singing her songs; Bluebell constantly having her nose in a book and oblivious to the world around her and Violet bringing boyfriend after boyfriend home.

There were also recent memories such as riding the merry-go-round several times with Daffodil, winning a huge stuffed seahorse at the shell toss and dunking Rose into a pool of water, as she had been that year's unfortunate victim of the 'Dunk the Aquarian Crown Princess Tank' at the Neptune Carnival; giggling at Daffodil's crude imitations of their mother and Senna at the dinner table when her back was turned.

Begging her mother to let her take part in this year's Aquarian National Day concert only to go exploring shipwrecks and collecting treasures with Aurora instead, denying the kingdom the chance to hear her sing , which had been the start of this adventure in the human world…

* * *

Now that Lily thought of it, all her memories seemed to involve Daffodil and Marigold, as they had been the sisters she was most close to, despite the eight and six year age difference between them, as they had always been there for her and never resented the fact that Daisy favoured Lily over them, since they were physically and mentally older than her (At least Marigold was, Daffodil was somewhat on the immature side) and she had trusted them to be responsible and take care of themselves.

It was also because she didn't have a close relationship with Fern, Bluebell and Violet in spite of them being closer in age to her, since Fern always hid away in a corner, not wanting to interact with anyone, Bluebell was always reading and Violet was too engrossed in her beauty routines and dating and rejecting boys to play and spend time with her.

Rose, she got on well with but since she was burdened with the responsibilities of being the crown princess, she never really had time to spend with Lily, although she really wanted to and she sometimes envied Lily for being the youngest and carefree while she was weighed down with the pressures of being the eldest and heir.

Lily would often joke that she had 'three mothers' and whenever Daisy went away on trips, Marigold was always the one to tuck her into bed, tell her bedtime stories and whenever she had nightmares, Lily would always find Marigold, who let her climb into her bed without hesitation and she and Daffodil would stay up late whispering and giggling when they were supposed to be asleep and getting told off by the others.

* * *

Of all the dreams that Lily was having, three scenes stood out in particular and the first one was the conversation that she had with Marigold, when she was seven and had asked her mother for the first time why she wasn't allowed to go to the surface.

Daisy had lost her temper and had shouted at her to stop asking ridiculous questions, which reduced the little mermaid to tears and lying on her bed, sobbing and clutching her pillow.

Marigold, who was fifteen at the time, saw her littlest sister in tears and gently swam over to Lily's bed and beckoned her to sit on her lap..

 _'_ _Lily,' Marigold cooed gently as seven-year-old Lily crawled onto her lap and wrapped her arms around the fifteen-year-old's waist as she sobbed while Marigold stroked her hair to calm her down._

 _'_ _It's alright, tell me what's wrong. I'm here for you,' she said as Lily hiccupped and tried to blink back tears, burying her face into her sister's chest._

 _'_ _Are you upset because Mum got angry with you and hurt your feelings?' Marigold said, still stroking Lily's hair in a motherly way and was thankful that it was only the two of them in the room._

 _'_ _Mummy is so mean, Mari,' Lily said, or rather whined, 'She never lets me do anything. What's wrong with going to the surface? We used to be able to go but since Daddy died, I'm not allowed to go anymore! Why did Daddy have to die? Why is Mummy so unhappy and why does everyone blame me for his death?_

 _I miss him so much and I want him to come back and make everyone happy again! If I hadn't got my tail caught in that rock, he'll still be here!'_

 _'_ _Lily, darling,' Marigold said, 'you mustn't blame yourself for Dad's death. It's not your fault, we were just at the wrong place at the wrong time and Dad was just saving your life because he loved you and wanted you to be safe even if it meant that he had to lose his. I miss him too, we all do even though it's been two years and Mum has to do the things she does because she's afraid of losing any of us to humans and wants us to be safe.'_

 _'_ _But what does that have to do with not being able to go to the surface?' Lily then asked and Marigold said,_

 _'_ _Lily, do you remember when Daffodil wanted to go to the kelp forest alone even though Mum told her not to?'_

 _'_ _She got lost,' Lily said, somewhat confused._

 _'_ _And what did Mum say, when the guards eventually found her after a few hours?' Marigold asked._

 _'_ _She said that Daffy should've listened to her. She said that Daffy was thirteen and should've known better to go alone and told her not to, but Daffy was naughty and didn't listen to her and she got lost.' Lily said._

 _'_ _That's right, Lily, Daffodil was being very naughty and did a silly thing when Mum specifically told her not to. So you see, sometimes she has to say no because she knows what's good for you and what isn't._

 _That's how mums are. Sure you think that she's being mean and unfair but she has to say those things now and then because she wants you to be safe, okay?'_

 _'_ _Okay, Mari,' Lily said, hugging her sister, 'but why does Mummy have to shout so much?' as she pouted which made the second eldest mer-princess smile and unsuccessfully conceal her snickers._

 _'_ _I don't know, Lily, that's the way she is,' Marigold said._

* * *

Another significant memory came back to Lily, as she remembered another conversation she had with one of her sisters, this time with Daffodil, as the nine-year-old caught her stealing Shellilina for the umpteenth time…

 _'_ _Daffy, what are you doing with Mari's doll?' nine-year-old Lily said, when Daffodil was hastily shoving the doll under her pillow, 'are you stealing it? Because if you are, Mari's not going to be very happy with you and she'll tell Mummy and Mummy will be very angry with you.'_

 _'_ _Uhhh..' fifteen-year-old Daffodil said, faltering and trying to find a convincing excuse, 'of course I'm not stealing Marigold's dumb doll that she's too old for!_

 _You see, Lily, thieves are very bad people and they make lots of people sad by taking their stuff away! There is nothing worse than a thief!'_

 _'_ _Like the Catfish Burglar who went around stealing treasures and Mummy had him thrown in the bad merpeople's place for his crimes and the guards said to him 'Crime doesn't pay,' Lily said._

 _'_ _Exactly, you don't want to be like him and stealing is a very bad thing that mer-princesses like you and me should NEVER do!' Daffodil said, trying to sound like Rose and wagging her finger at Lily, but failing miserably, only succeeding in making the little mermaid laugh._

 _'_ _But you do it, Daffy,' Lily said, 'like when you took Vi's compact when she pacficially told you not to use it and she was really mad at you and when you keep taking Mari's things like Shellilina without asking. Isn't that stealing?'_

 _'_ _Of course it isn't, Lil, it's not stealing at all!' Daffodil said, 'it's called 'borrowing!' while using finger quotes when she said 'borrowing,'_

 _'_ _I'm 'borrowing' Marigold's doll because she is the most selfish mermaid in Aquaria who needs to learn to share her stuff instead of being so over-protective of her property and acting like a killer whale every time I 'borrow' her things!_

 _'_ _Borrowed?' Lily said, confused then smiled at her sister, 'oh, that's a relief, I thought that you took Shellilina without asking!'_

 _'_ _Ah, asking, schmasking!' Daffodil said, 'you can borrow anything you like just as long as you bring it back before it's missed. Everyone knows that, right?'_

 _'_ _Okay!' Lily said, hanging on Daffodil's every word._

 _'_ _And if Marigold asks where the doll is?' Daffodil said._

 _'_ _You borrowed it!' Lily said, happily._

 _'_ _Exactly!' Daffodil said, hugging her little sister, 'you're a good kid,' as Lily then swam away happily, while the older mermaid breathed a sigh of relief and whipped the doll out from under the pillow._

 _'_ _Oh, that was a close one,' Daffodil said, holding the doll, 'I hope that Lily doesn't go spilling the pearls to Marigold and I don't want to get through THOSE fights with her again.'_

 _That day, after Daffodil's 'pep talk', which was a term used rather loosely as it was obvious that Daffodil was being a total hypocrite, Lily, bored of sitting around in the palace all day and eager to explore outside the kingdom, went on her very first adventure._

 _And it was when she was swimming through a sunken ship, she found her very first human treasure- a music box and it was after this day, her curiosity about humans and their forbidden world and her love of their things was born._

 _And since she was neither stealing nor borrowing the objects she had found as they had been dropped into the ocean or left on the surface, she figured that it was alright to keep them, although they were the very things her mother abhorred…_

* * *

Lily smiled as she turned over before waking up and finding it was still dark, judging by Senna muttering in her sleep, no doubt dreaming of Maximus again and the clock that told her that it was three thirty in the morning.

But try as she might, she couldn't get back to sleep and silently snickered when she heard Senna mutter and saw her puckering up her lips, obviously kissing Maximus in her dream although to Lily, it looked like a reminder that she hadn't kissed Ben yet despite having two chances to do so yesterday.

Sighing silently (oh, how she wished she had her voice and wondered why Sharla had wanted it in the first place, so that she could tell Ben that she loved him and had saved his life) she then reached over and picked up her bracelet, running her finger along the charms.

They were two maroon and gold beads, the state colours of Queensland, Ariel's green dress (she had picked that because it had her middle name on it) a fish that reminded her of Aurora , a silver heart that said _Best Friends_ on it (which Ben had picked especially for her) and a silver 'L'.

Fingering the fish charm, Lily soon thought of Aurora and found herself falling asleep again and dreaming of meeting the little fish for the first time, when she was eleven and was swimming around the coral fields outside Aquaria.

She had wished that she had a friend to play and to go exploring with and was feeling lonely when she saw the scared little pink fish swimming around the fields aimlessly, as she had been separated from her school and they hadn't come back to her.

She was unsure about where to go and what to do and was feeling just as lonely as Lily was and the mermaid could see herself in Aurora (who wasn't called that yet) and where she stood in her family as she swam closer to the fish, careful not to frighten her…

' _Oh, you poor little fish, are you okay?' the eleven-year-old mermaid said, approaching the little pink fish who was already scared about being abandoned and lost in an wide and scary ocean, where many dangers lay and sharks lurked in the shadows, waiting to feast on a timid, vulnerable guppy like her and seeing the strange mermaid swimming towards her, the fish yelped and swam behind some coral, shaking in fear._

 _'_ _It's alright, don't be afraid, come on out,' Lily said gently, holding out her arms but the fish kept backing away, clearly scared of the mermaid, although she meant no harm and was speaking to her in a soft, sweet tone which made the fish feel at ease somewhat but she was still reluctant to come out._

 _'_ _Come on, little fish, you can trust me, I promise that I won't hurt you,' Lily said, 'you look so scared and alone but I'll be your friend. I know how you feel, being all alone, without a friend. I promise that I will look after you. Come on out,'_

 _Reluctantly the little fish swam slowly towards the mermaid, in awe of the stranger in front of her but there was nothing but kindness and love in her eyes as she sat on the ground and held out her arms to the fish._

 _Lily smiled encouragingly and the fish swam into her arms but didn't say anything yet she felt strangely safe in the mermaid's arms and as she looked at her tail…_

 _'_ _Hey, you have a pink tail like me!' she said, which made Lily jump in alarm at hearing the fish talk that she nearly sent her flying._

 _'_ _You can talk?' Lily said, amazed._

 _'_ _Of course I can, I trust you,' the fish said, 'and like I said, you have a pink tail and the same colours as me!' as she tickled Lily with her tail and fins which made the mermaid giggle._

 _'_ _Why, yes I do,' Lily said, wiggling her tailfin in a coy way and tickled the little fish with it Lily sending her into giggles, 'and you have such a pretty flower in your hair!'_

 _'_ _Thanks,' the little fish said, 'I'm just glad to see a friendly face in the ocean since I got separated from my school when we got caught in a whirlpool and they didn't come back for me..' as the fish started crying._

 _'_ _Oh, I'm so sorry, little fish,' Lily said, hugging her and the fish leaned against her chest, knowing very well what had happened to the school and feeling the same pain as the fish that she had only known for a few minutes,_

 _'_ _It's okay, I know what it's like to lose someone you love and to be all alone in the ocean and not having a friend. Sometimes I wish I had a friend that I can play with and to go on adventures with since my sisters don't have the time now that they are older.'_

 _'_ _I'll be your friend,' the little fish said, 'I promise that I'll always play with you and to go on your adventures with you, no matter how scary or dangerous they are and I'll always be by your side, in fact I'll be your best friend and you can be mine since you have been so kind to me and I already trust and like you.'_

 _'_ _You will?' Lily said and the fish nodded, 'oh, thank you, little fish, thank you so much! And my name's Lily, by the way. Or if you want my full name, Lily Ariel Clamarius, Princess of Aquaria, but just call me Lily, please!'_

 _'_ _You're a princess?' the little fish said and Lily nodded, 'that's so cool! But I won't treat you any differently, as you're just Lily and that's how I see you as, my best friend.'_

 _'_ _Thanks, little fish..oh, do YOU have a name?' Lily asked, 'I can't keep on calling you, 'little fish, can I? Surely, you must have one!'_

 _'_ _Well, my name is Girl Guppy #3, that's what everyone was called in my school,' the little fish said, 'I don't have a proper name.'_

 _'_ _Then, I'll give you one if you like,' Lily said and the little fish nodded eagerly, while Lily thought of a name to give her new best friend._

 _She soon found herself thinking of the book she had read last week in her grotto about a princess that she liked and the pink dress she wore, which was the same colours as the fish and her own seashells and tail and suddenly she had her name._

 _'_ _Aurora,' Lily said to the little fish, 'I'm going to call you Aurora after the princess in a book I read and liked and I think that it'll suit you.'_

 _'_ _Aurora,' the little fish said, sounding out her new name and her eyes sparkled and her tailfin wiggled, 'I love it, it's such a beautiful name! Thank you, Lily, it feels good to have a proper name and not being known as 'Girl Guppy #3' anymore!'_

 _'_ _You're welcome, Aurora and I think that we're going to be best friends forever!' Lily said, hugging Aurora again and the little fish nuzzled happily against her._

 _'_ _Best friends forever?' Aurora said, hopefully._

 _'_ _Best friends forever,' Lily said, tucking Aurora under her arm, 'come on, I want to show you my grotto where I keep my treasures, that is, if you can keep a secret!'_

 _'_ _Of course I can!' Aurora said and the new best friends swam off to the grotto, having formed a very close and unbreakable friendship…_

* * *

Lily smiled as she thought of Aurora and how she had always been by her side, even when she put her through dangerous situations such as being chased by the shark, going up to the surface, Aurora following her to Sharla's lair and witnessing her transform into a human, which was terrifying for but still stuck by her by helping her swim up to the surface and coming to see her on the beach.

Oh, how she missed the little fish, even though she had seen her yesterday and had been swimming along the canals when she and Ben drove by them, ready to assist in any way she could, like she had always done and proved time and time again how much she cared for Lily, having never been so far apart from her since the day they met.

Sure, she took Aurora to dark and scary parts of the ocean, into sunken boats, deep caverns and to the surface to see Sandy, to find adventures and treasures but the two had always had fun, though it was a terrifying kind of fun but still exciting.

Lily then wondered how Ben would react when he found out that a fish and a crab would be included in his circle of friends and smiled to herself as she put her bracelet back on the bedside table and went back to sleep without any more dreams about her past.

A past she was still keeping secret from Ben.

* * *

 _Wow, twenty chapters and still going strong! I'm so glad my little mermaid has followers that love her so much and in this chapter, you learn more about her and her relationship with her sisters and when she met Aurora for the first time. Sorry it took so long to post (slight writer's block and Internet issues don't mix!) but I'm glad that you are still enjoying this story!_

 _Read and review, as Lily spends a day in Dreamworld in the next chapter!_


	21. A Day in Dreamworld

_Hey guys!_

 _I'm so so so so sorry that I haven't updated lately due to Internet issues and slight writer's block, but I hope that this makes up for it as we are at the halfway mark now!_

 _Read on and enjoy!_

* * *

When Lily next woke up, it was morning and she smiled as it was the day that she and Ben were going to Dreamworld and she couldn't wait to see the place that he and humans liked so much, as she imagined all the rides and attractions that Ben had talked about last night in her mind.

She soon heard footsteps outside her room and the door opening slightly and she then felt Ruby jump onto her bed and her wet tongue licking her repeatedly to wake her up, like she did with Ben every morning (he often joked that Ruby was the only alarm clock he really needed).

Senna's eyes widened when she saw the furry land creature up close and quickly hid under the pillow.

'Ruby!' Ben's voice said from outside, whispering, as he approached Lily's room and peeked in to see the dog on the bed and licking Lily's face with amusement and annoyance, 'Ruby, don't annoy Lily, girl! Get off her bed!'

Lily smiled at Ben, not minding at all as she patted the dog and her tail wagged excitedly while she sat up and looked at the clock and saw that it was seven-thirty and the sunlight was creeping through the blinds.

And it was another beautiful sunny day which made her wonder if there was ever a cloudy or cold day in the human world, since it always seemed to be warm and sunny all the time.

However, she soon forgot that as she quickly got up once Ruby jumped off the bed, hurriedly got dressed into another new outfit which was a top with pink, blue and purple bohemian patterns on it, her soft denim shorts from yesterday and light purple flowery sneakers.

'Morning, Lily, glad to see you're up,' Ben said, when he entered, carrying Ruby's leash for her morning walk and wearing a forest green T-shirt with white text and grey shorts.

Seeing her master, Ruby ran over to Ben and nuzzled against his legs, as he then said, 'sorry if Ruby has been bothering you, it's what she does in the morning to wake me up as well.

She's a great alarm clock, aren't you girl?' Ben said, patting her and Ruby wagged her tail happily in response, 'the only one you'll ever need in this house!' to which Ruby barked in agreement and Lily smiled.

'She also does it to Dad when he's here, although he yells at her and shouts to me, 'Benjamin, get your bloody dog out of my room right now, she's slobbering all over me and getting her muddy paws all over my best doona!' he said, doing a bad impersonation of his father but it made Lily smile.

'Ruby always knows when it's time for me and Dad to wake up, even though it hacks him off when all he wants to do is sleep but he does love Ruby, even when he finds her annoying, like when she jumps on his lap and ruins his suits.

She also knows when it's time for her morning walk and from the way she's wagging her tail, she wants you to come and walk her again. Don't you, girl? Don't you? You want Lily to walk you again, don't you girl?' Ben said.

Ruby barked happily and ran over to Lily, jumping into her arms and licking her again, smelling Lily's ocean scent that she liked so much and Lily smiled and hugged the dog that she had grown fond of.

From under the pillow, Senna screwed up her face at hearing the soppy tone that Ben used to talk to Ruby but gave a small smile at seeing how much he loved and cared for his dog and Lily, even though he hadn't realised what his canine companion had and now there was only one day left.

'Just one day left now,' Senna muttered to herself so that she wouldn't be heard, 'and that boy hasn't given her so much as a peck on the lips. Sharla must be laughing at us from her lair and relishing the fact that Lily will soon be a part of her garden if they hadn't kissed yet.

Well, hopefully today will be the day! Lily's dilly-dallied for too long now and I must make sure that she stays on task!' Senna said, peeking out from the pillow, which went unnoticed.

'Anyway, we better get a wiggle on if we're to take Miss Ruby for her walk and have breakfast before we go to Dreamworld today.' Ben said

Lily nodded and smiled, eagerly anticipating the fun day ahead, and hoped that the theme park would be just as fun as the Neptune Carnival, maybe be even better.

'Have a quick shower if you haven't done so already, especially since Ruby has slobbered on your face and you don't want to smell doggy all day!' Ben said.

'Melinda will have breakfast ready when we get back and then we'll head off to Dreamworld afterwards,' he then said, 'you go and wash and I'll meet you in the foyer in a few minutes, ok?'

Lily nodded and Ben left the room with Ruby following him. She quickly went into the bathroom, showered (which was now easier for her since she knew what to do) put her clothes back on and brushed her hair with the fork, as she always did.

She was about to leave when Senna cleared her throat which made Lily turn around and see the crab standing on the bedside table with her 'lecture face' on and Lily thought _Here we go again,_ as she sighed and embraced herself for Senna's lecture.

'Well, I'm glad that you've been enjoying yourself so far, Lily,' Senna began, wagging her claw at the former mermaid, 'and that you had the time of your life yesterday exploring the boy's world, walking that furry land creature and him buying you nice clothes and jewellery like that charm bracelet there,' pointing her claw towards said bracelet.

Lily quickly put it on and dangled it in front of Senna who looked at it quite uninterestedly.

'Pretty,' she said, rather dismissively, 'but while you've been having fun, may I remind you that you had TWO CHANCES to kiss the boy yesterday, while you were in the car and he told you his life story and on the beach when you walked the furry land creature?

Two chances and you didn't take them! And now you have only ONE DAY left to kiss him and time is slipping away from you!

Sharla is probably relishing the fact that you are getting closer to your deadline and the boy hasn't even given you a peck on the cheek! Well, no more dilly-dallying now, young lady, today is the day that you must do it!

Maybe a romantic atmosphere is what you need… yes, maybe tonight would be perfect..

You've only got one chance left before the sun sets tomorrow, Lily, don't waste it,' Senna said as Lily patted the crab on her head, picked her up and placed her in her pocket and hurriedly headed to the foyer where Ben and Ruby were waiting for her.

'I wonder what adventure Lily is going to take me on today,' Senna muttered from inside Lily's pocket.

* * *

On the beach that was quiet for this time of morning apart from the lifeguards starting their patrol and a few other people out walking, Lily smiled as she walked Ruby, feeling the slight breeze against her hair and the sun shining on her face while the dog happily sniffed and paddled in the water and Ben put his arm around her waist again.

Only this time he didn't pull it away in embarrassment as he felt strangely comfortable about it, his love for Lily growing from strength to strength no matter how hard he tried to deny it.

'Ben! Lily! Hey, how are you? I haven't seen you guys for a while!' a familiar voice called out to Ben, which made him and Lily turn around and see Mia and a little girl walking towards them, which surprised Ben as he hadn't seen her or any of his friends since the barbecue although he had been texting them.

'That's Mia's little sister, Samantha,' Ben whispered to Lily, 'and she's an irritating little brat whenever Mia is forced to look after her but acts like an angel in her mum and dad's presence! She makes Anna look like Taylor Swift!' and Lily smiled in response.

'That's putting it mildly,' Mia said, 'You must be thinking 'She must have the patience of a saint to put up with her brat of a little sister,' and I do! It's like I'm dealing with a mini-Anna and that's saying something!' giggling while Samantha scowled at her.

'Speaking of which, sorry that I haven't been able to catch up with you and the guys lately as we've been having so much fun going around the Gold Coast and doing some shopping. Lily certainly has been having the time of her life and everything that she saw excited her!

It was truly amazing that the little things we take for granted brought her so much joy.' Ben said.

Lily nodded and twirled around to show Mia her clothes which she admired, 'those clothes look so cute, Lily, they really suit you!' she had said and then Lily stuck out her wrist to show Mia bracelet.

'Oh, you got your bracelet, Lily!' Mia said and Lily nodded again, 'and I love your charms, especially Ariel's dress, the best friends' one and the state colours!'

Lily smiled and pointed to Mia's own bracelet to indicate that it was like hers and to symbolise their friendship, although she felt guilty for not getting to know Mia better since she had been occupied with Ben but she didn't seem to mind when she saw the expression on Lily's face.

'Lily, don't feel guilty about you and Ben spending time together, it's what you both want as long as you are happy and we understand, well except Kim Kardashian otherwise known as Anna!

She has been really pippy that Ben has been spending time with 'the mute girl', rather than with us but who cares, Grace and I are starting to get really sick of her.'

'Yeah, I'm getting sick of Anna too, she's just like Kim except she has a smaller bum but has the same attitude! She deserves every insult she gets!' Ben said and all three of them laughed, thought silent on Lily's part.

'Mia, I want to go home,' the little girl whined and tugged on Mia's hand, 'I'm missing _Sofia the First!_ It's the episode with Rapunzel on it and she's my favourite princess! Mia, Mia, Mia, I want to go hoooomee!'

'In a minute, Samantha and only if you stop whining like a spoilt brat,' Mia reassured her and then turned back to Ben and Lily, with a 'See what I have to put up with every day?' look on her face.

'Little sisters,' she said and Lily smiled at the little girl, remembering her own sisters saying the same thing about her.

Samantha looked up at the strange girl in front of her and looked at Lily, like she was one of the many sea creatures at Sea World.

'Who's she?' she said.

'Samantha, that was really rude!' Mia scolded her sister, 'this is Lily, our new friend and she's not something you gawk at at Sea World! She's been through an awful lot and I want you to apologise to her.'

'Sorry,' Samantha said, 'but where did she come from? Is she from around here? What happened to her?'

'I found her on the beach two days ago, Sam,' Ben said, 'but we don't know where she came from or what happened as she hasn't said a word since she's been here but we think that she was in a shipwreck of some sort.'

'Do you like her?' said Samantha, 'if you do, are you going to marry her or that girl that saved your life?' which made Ben blush and Lily tilt her head to the side.

'Samantha!' Mia scolded again, 'don't ask such silly questions!'

'Well, are you, Ben?' Samantha persisted again, 'are you going to marry Lily? Because you were telling Mia that you wanted to marry the girl who saved you and everybody was talking about you and Lily and that you were in love with her, that she reminded you of her..'

'I want to, Sam but I have to find her first,' Ben said.

'And if you don't, you'll marry Lily, right?' Samantha asked. Lily looked up hopefully while blushing but tactfully pretended that she was looking out at the ocean and watching Ruby paddle in the water.

'Maybe, I really like Lily but I have to think about it,' Ben said, with a slight blush creeping on his cheeks, although he knew deep down that he was falling more and more in love with Lily and her eyes lit up when she heard what he said but quickly looked back at the ocean, fighting back the urge to kiss him right there.

From Lily's pocket, Senna smiled and clapped her claws together above her head at this encouraging sign. All she needed to do was to make Ben realise that the blonde girl and the voice were the same.

Samantha tugged at Mia's arm again and she said, 'Alright, Sam, we'll go home now so you can watch that stupid show you love. I'll see you around, Ben and have a great day with Lily.'

' _Sofia the First_ is not stupid, Mia!' Samantha protested.

'Yeah, we better get going too, I promised Lily that I would take her to Dreamworld today,' Ben said and Mia smiled as she and Samantha left, with her chattering non-stop and Mia rolled her eyes and waved back to Ben and Lily, as they waved back and headed back home.

* * *

After some breakfast and Melinda giving them all the basic necessities for visiting theme parks such as sunscreen, water bottles, food and hats, Ben and Lily were soon heading to Dreamworld and Ben had wanted to show her some more things on the way there that he hadn't gotten round to yet.

Lily's excitement at every new thing that she saw hadn't waned one bit, as Ben first showed her Skilled Park where the Gold Coast Titans played, which made Lily's ears perk up as it had been on the 'passamawhatchit' that she had found and shown Sandy and what the seagull had told her was very valuable.

But she learnt that they were the local league team and not a particularly good one to her disappointment but she looked at the stadium eagerly and at Bond University, where Ben was going to study business later in the month and at Carra Stadium where the Commonwealth Games were going to be held in three years' time.

She also enjoyed the long ride to the suburb where Dreamworld was, taking in every new sight and sound like she did in town and loved listening to Ben's music that was blaring from his car stereo, in particular, one song called _Breaking Free_ that was by a singer called Ariana Grande and one of Ben's favourites.

Although she couldn't sing along (she wished again that she had her voice) she nodded her head to the music, which was far different to what she had listened to back in Aquaria.

The music that Aquarians listened to were the Aquaettes, an all-girl group that many of the mermaids liked and the Shell Hoppers, a band that played at the Blue Clam, which was Aquaria's nightclub but she liked the human world's music even more.

Senna, peeking out from Lily's pocket, screwed up her face for the second time that day at hearing the strange music which she thought was far inferior to what she composed and conducted and what she and her band and the Shell Hoppers played at the club and wondered why humans liked it so much.

Ben told Lily about Ariana Grande, who had also been an actress and had been on TV shows called _Victorious_ and _Sam and Cat,_ which was one of his favourites and that he liked Ariana's character, Cat who was a sweet but ditzy girl (ditzy meaning stupid).

But Lily wasn't really paying attention as she listened to Ariana singing about being stronger than before and breaking free which Lily felt she could relate to as it was the very thing that she had done and she had felt stronger and more free since she left her life under the sea behind.

* * *

A few minutes later, they were soon at Dreamworld and Lily, like she did when she saw the town for the first time, twirled around and gasped in amazement at seeing the bright, colourful and large place, which was far more exciting than the Neptune Carnival and better than she imagined it would be.

She dragged Ben by the hand, wanting to ride every ride and roller coaster, even the scariest ones, as she heard people screaming with joy and some terror from them and saw kids hugging and posing with large cartoon characters but he was used to it by now and Lily's enthusiasm never ceased to amaze and amuse him.

She felt the same thrill and excitement of her adventures and discovering new treasures as she and Ben saw all the attractions and went on all the rides and rollercoasters (except the ones that were for little kids, Ben ruled the line at that, thinking that it would be too embarrassing) whooping and laughing and having the time of their lives.

She wasn't even scared of the Giant Drop and Tower of Terror, although Senna was feeling the opposite as she sat in Lily's pocket and felt queasy at being bumped around by the rides and turned a pale shade of green.

Lily also had her photo taken with Ben on his phone and with a large cartoonish sponge in square pants, which was very different to the sea sponges she had seen in the ocean even though he WAS one but resembled a kitchen sponge, like the one Melinda had back at the house.

She also thought it was odd that he was wearing a shirt, tie and pants but she liked his goofy smile and how happy and sunny he looked, especially when he gave her a hug and Ben grinned as he took the photo.

He also loved how Lily was eager to go on every ride and how she enjoyed his favourite theme park and he too was having a good time, since everyone was just having fun to take much notice of him and Lily as they went about on their day.

Apparently his name was Spongebob Squarepants ( _such a funny name!_ Lily thought) and he was a very popular cartoon character in the human world and Ben did a very good impersonation of him laughing, saying his catchphrase 'I'm ready!' and his high-pitched scream, which made Lily smile, even more so when Ben bought her a T-shirt with his face on it and a little Spongebob plush toy.

'Spongebob's a funny guy, isn't he?' Ben said, when they sat down to lunch and Lily nodded as she sipped her Coke and ate her hamburger, 'you can see why he's so popular around the world and I love the show but I think that since the first movie, it's gone downhill and the new episodes aren't as good as they used to be.

Everyone reckons that series 1-3 are the best there is. I like Spongebob but my favourite character has to be Patrick, the starfish because he's so dumb in a funny way and he reminds me of Cody, since he is like that sometimes!' he said, laughing.

Lily smiled and nodded, as she knew that starfishes weren't particularly intelligent, having seen that for herself back at home and she remembered a starfish called Pascal who had been part of her mother's royal court but had been dismissed due to his stupidity, clumsiness and laziness, much like the character that Ben liked so much.

'Have you had fun so far in Dreamworld?' Ben said and Lily nodded again, for all the wonderful things she had seen and done in the Gold Coast so far, her favourite was being in Dreamworld and riding all the rides.

'I'm glad, I've had fun too, as I always do here and you certainly look like you've been enjoying yourself! You were really brave to go on the Giant Drop and Tower of Terror, far braver than my old man, that's for sure!' Ben laughed.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Ben and Lily went to Dreamworld Corroboree, which was a zoo of native and barnyard animals, that Lily had never seen before and her eyes lit up as she explored the wildlife attractions and saw many land animals such as koalas, dingoes, kangaroos, emus, wombats and wallabies, which Ben told her were native to Australia and an important part of their culture.

Lily even got to cuddle a koala and feed and pat a kangaroo, which was like petting and hugging Ruby and she enjoyed it greatly.

She also saw bilbies, crocodiles, turtles and animals in the Daintree Rainforest that lived in tropical climates, saw a sheep shearing show and rode on the Avis Vintage Cars, a fixed track car ride on a small circuit.

She also learned about the indigenous people of Australia through a film about the history of the Gold Coast and their culture and stories which fascinated her as she looked at their artwork and the floor map of the indigenous tribal boundaries throughout Australia.

Ben kept taking photos of him and Lily outside the various locations and attractions around the park and they went on some more rides and saw a movie in a theatre before deciding to call it a day, since it was getting late and Ruby would be waiting for them to take her on her afternoon walk.

And as they drove back to Mermaid Beach, Lily smiled as she reflected on all the exciting things she had seen and done in Dreamworld, such as riding rollercoasters, cuddling a koala, petting a kangaroo, meeting a giant cartoon sponge and seeing Aboriginal culture and art and she felt that the cherry on the cake would be the moment when she would kiss Ben and she hoped that it would be tonight.

Senna was thinking the same thing as she rested in Lily's pocket while trying to get over the nausea she suffered from the rides and she knew of the perfect place.


	22. A Night Out

Lily sighed happily as she sat on the leather couch in the TV room while sipping a can of Coke (it was fast becoming her favourite drink) and picked up one of Melinda's magazines that were lying on the table and looked at it with interest, seeing many pictures of women and men who were famous in Ben's world, like his father and mother were and articles about people and beauty and fashion tips.

It was just the two of them since Melinda had gone to a friend's house for tea but had already walked and fed Ruby, who was lying on the floor next to the couch and she had also left Lily and Ben some pizza in the freezer and some money in case they wanted to get takeaways, which in Ben's mind, was the more plausible option.

Ben was sitting next to her with what he called a 'laptop' on his lap and was looking at the results of the Nines on a sports website while texting on his phone and Lily leaned over for a closer look at the large rectangular device and what was called the 'internet', which humans used to watch TV and movies online, shop, browse through various websites and interact with each other on social media and she was intrigued by what she saw on the screen.

'Oh, strewth, the Broncos didn't make the quarter finals,' Ben said, 'and it looks like Dad's trip to Auckland is going to be cut short. He wasn't very happy about the results and I bet that he's gonna give the guys a gobful but then again, it's only a silly pre-season tournament, but try telling that to the old man!

I kid, he's not that type of coach that yells and belittles his team, he's disappointed but it's a good learning curve for him and it has been ages since the Broncos last played, so they would've been still rusty.' Ben said and Lily nodded in agreement before reading her magazine again.

'Are you looking for pictures of Dad or me?' Ben said, chuckling.

'Mind you that has been part of my life being in the women's magazines with Mum and Dad, from their wedding, my birth, Dad's retirement from footy and her death, they have covered it for all of Australia to see but I can assure you that I am nothing like the celebrity kids that make the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

These days, all you find in the mags are about the Kardashians, in particular Kim and Kayne and Kourtney and Khloe and their loser husbands, those spoilt brats Kendall and Kylie and their 'momager' Kris but to be honest, I think everyone is getting sick of them and yet every week, they are always in the mags.

Not to mention the Brangelina clan and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and their second baby which is due later this year but everyone loves reading about them since they are part of the royal family of Britain unlike the Kardashians who have about as much class as a public toilet.' Ben said, smirking as he said the last sentence which Lily smiled at.

'You also hear about local celebrities, like Dad and Mum when she was alive and Justin Bieber who I can't stand, as well as One Direction which I think are nothing more than a bunch of pretty boys whose music I enjoy as much as having a cricket bat shoved down my throat.' Ben said.

'But that's what you expect when you're a celebrity or a child of one like me. Your whole life is always in the public eye and splashed on the glossy cover of a magazine and that's why I sometimes want to be alone, to have my privacy.'

Lily gave him a small smile and patted his hand, as her way of saying 'I understand' and he held her hand in return and stroked it gently which made her heart flutter. She then pointed to his laptop and mimed typing on the keyboard, indicating that she wanted a go using it.

'Of course you can use it,' Ben said, putting it on her lap and he showed her how it worked and what buttons and keys to press to get into a program she wanted.

* * *

Once Lily got the hang of it, she settled down happily to play a card game called Solitaire while Ben was watching the news on the large screen TV but neither he nor Lily were paying attention as it wasn't particularly interesting or cheerful.

'Right, I've heard enough of this guy blah- blah-blahing about the world's woes,' Ben said and changed the channel to a replay of the Nines, which gave Lily her first real look at a rugby league game and she watched it with interest even though she didn't understand what was going on and was still playing on Ben's laptop.

'Hey, Lily,' Ben then said, ' since Melinda is out for the night and I can't be stuffed cooking even if it's just heating up pizza, I was thinking that we could go out later tonight. There's this new bar that just opened in Broadbeach called Little Havana, which is Cuban-themed and what Cody has been texting me about.

He and the guys went there last night and he says it's really amazing and that I should take you there to experience the Gold Coast nightlife. We can go there after we get some Hungry Jacks, that is if you're not too tuckered out from Dreamworld.'

Rather than her usual nod, Lily gave a small smile and the excitement of going out to experience the famous Gold Coast nightlife that Sandy had told her about on the night of the storm was in her eyes and this would also be the perfect opportunity to kiss him and she thought of the ideal place.

She could take him to the rock pools where they had spent many happy memories there in their childhoods and that would be the perfect romantic atmosphere to kiss Ben with one day to spare in the place that they loved so much.

'That's great, we'll go in half an hour, once I shower and get changed. Little Havana is quite a ritzy place so you'll need to dress into something nice.' Ben said, getting up and then headed off to his room while Lily nodded, excited about going out and to explore the city at night, still using his laptop.

Once Ben was out of sight, Senna wriggled her way out of Lily's pocket (she was fast becoming quite sick of being cramped up in such a little spot) and landed on a nearby cushion, back to her normal colour.

'What a relief to be on solid ground again after going on those ghastly rides,' Senna said, 'why do humans consider being hurled up in the air, dropped down at ludicrous speeds towards the ground and zigzagging through the sky fun?

They were even worse that the washing machine I was in and being so high up…uggh, you were lucky that I didn't throw up in your pocket!'

Lily raised her eyebrow at the crab as she picked her up and carried her all the way to her room, while Senna kept talking, even when Lily showered (which was much easier for her now) and changed into a black dress with little white flowers on it and a light pink cardigan along with some pink flats, as Senna said,

'Now Lily, we've dilly-dallied long enough and if you want to get the boy to kiss you, you've got to do it right and I can help you with that, but you have to do exactly what I say and do listen carefully, there is no time for daydreaming.'

Lily nodded and picked up the fork to brush her hair, eagerly looking at Senna as she then said,

'It's clear that he likes you a lot and you just have to get him to let you kiss him, but you need to be in the mood to do so and a crowded public place such as that bar is not the way to go about it.

You need a private place, where it will be just the two of you, with romantic music, which I can provide and what better place than the rock pools?' Senna said and Lily nodded, as she was thinking the same thing.

'Ah, great minds think alike.' Senna said, grinning for the first time in days as Lily finished brushing her hair and sprayed some perfume that made Senna gag at the strong scent of sandalwood, jasmine and gardenia.

'Uggh, human perfume,' she moaned, her eyes watering, 'why do they use so much of it? Do they smell that bad that they need to spray that strong yet sweet smelling stuff on them? Do they think that they'll attract the opposite sex if they wear it? Rather peculiar, if you ask me.'

Lily smiled at the crab and patted her on the head before opening up a handbag and ushered Senna to crawl inside, which she did, relieved that she didn't have to hide in a cramped pocket and Lily walked downstairs to where Ben, dressed in a long-sleeved silver shirt with black swirls and black pants, was waiting for her, tossing his car keys up and down.

'Wow, you look beautiful, Lily,' Ben said, in awe of her and breathing in her ocean scent that the perfume thinly disguised. Every day, she seemed to become more and more beautiful and she blushed slightly in response and smiled at how handsome he looked in his shirt and pants, which was a far cry from his usual casual attire.

'Shall we make a move then?' Ben said, 'the night is still young after all,' and Lily nodded as Ben took her hand and led her out to his car. From inside Lily's bag, Senna smiled to herself as they rode down the highway and hoped that her plan would be successful later.

* * *

After dinner at Hungry Jacks, another burger joint that Lily thought was similar to McDonalds and had wondered why Jack was so hungry from reading the sign, believing it to be an actual person, but she still enjoyed it nonetheless, she and Ben were soon at Little Havana, which was so-called as everything in the bar was Cuban-themed and Caribbean music was playing as people were sitting inside and outside eating and drinking, watching sports.

People smiled and nodded at Ben when he and Lily came in but they were mostly engrossed in chatting, drinking and the cricket game that was playing on the TV in the corner, to Ben's relief as he ordered a Corona for him and a lemon, lime and bitters for Lily along with some chips to nibble on and they sat outside, feeling the cool breeze through their hair as they sipped their drinks in comfortable silence.

'This is a nice place, isn't it?' Ben said after a few minutes, while dipping some chips in aioli and eating them much like he did at home while Lily smiled at him as she did the same and also sipped her lemon, lime and bitters, entranced by the bright colours, wall art, palm trees and the pleasant smell of coconut and pineapple in the air.

'Now, you've got a little taste of the Gold Coast nightlife, although it does get a little rough in town and it's a busy night for the cops and emergency services but we should be right, it's pretty quiet around here.' Ben said, taking another sip of his beer while looking at Lily, so entranced by her beauty and personality, his heart beating madly in his chest.

'You know, since you've been here with me, I've never been happier and I've really enjoyed spending time with you. I know I've said that many times before but I mean it.

I've never met anyone who doesn't say a word, yet has such an adventurous spirit, takes joy in all the little things that we take for granted and goes through life with a smile no matter what challenges or obstacles stand in your way.

It's like your heart is an open book and that you are always kind and happy to people regardless how they treat you like Anna..' Ben said.

Lily made a face and Ben couldn't help but chuckle, as he said, while taking another swig of his beer,

'And yet, I still don't know anything about you- your background, your family, if you had one, where you came from and your interests. I've told you about me and my mum, yet I don't know about your family, apart from your dad.'

Lily nodded while also feeling guilty. She had listened eagerly to Ben when he told her about his family when she hadn't so much mentioned anything about hers, apart from her father.

Not that she really wanted to but she felt it was only fair.

'What about siblings? Do you have any brothers or sisters?' Ben said, and Lily nodded again while holding up six fingers.

'Six siblings!' Ben said, in surprise 'Strewth, that's a lot! Your mum must have her hands full dealing with you lot! Some of my mates only have one or two and you know that Mia has a sister, but six? How did she manage to keep everyone in line?'

Lily just grinned and shrugged.

'Are they girls or boys or some of both?' Ben asked. Lily shook her head and pointed to herself and then held up the six fingers again.

'Six girls like you,' Ben said and Lily nodded, 'are they older or younger?'

Lily shook her head again and held a hand to the top of her head and moved it over as if someone was standing next to her and then gestured upward.

'Taller?' Ben said and when Lily shook her head, he thought for a moment, 'No, older. All of them are older than you, is that right?' and Lily confirmed it.

'Strewth, that must be hard being the youngest of seven girls. No wonder you're not that close with your mum with six sisters, especially if any of them are like Samantha or Anna.' Ben said.

Lily smiled, knowing that Ben was half-right but he didn't know that she had been her mother's favourite until the business in the grotto. The two then went back into the comfortable silence before the sight of people dancing outside to music caught Lily's eye and she pointed towards them.

'Do you want to dance?' Ben said and Lily nodded, while also feeling nervous, since she had never danced before and her confidence was fast falling.

'It's okay if you're not good at it, I'm rubbish as well. I'm good at most things like surfing and footy but dancing isn't one of them, but I'll teach you some moves. Dancing is actually easier than you think it is, so there's no need to be nervous, I'll be with you.

And no one's gonna care, if you're good or not, they're just doing it for fun and maybe because they've had a few so just relax and let it go, let it goooo…' singing the song from _Frozen_ to the amusement of Lily.

'Just follow me and have some fun,' Ben said as he led Lily towards the place where the people were dancing and the music was blaring from speakers that were standing on a stage. From Lily's bag, Senna peeked out and smiled at the couple, thinking _So far, so good._

* * *

Not noticing the crowd that was starting to gather around them, no doubt wanting to see the local heartthrob and son of Phil Steele dancing with his unusual new friend, Ben showed Lily some basic moves and despite a wobble or two, she soon got the hang of it and the crowd smiled and clapped encouragingly.

'Hey, you're quite the dancer, Lily!' Ben said and now feeling confident, he took her hands into his and they soon danced together, along with the people already on the dancefloor and the crowd watching, some even taking photos on their phones.

Lily was twirling on the spot and feeling like she was in seventh heaven and both she and Ben completely forgot where they were as they danced in each other's arms, like they were the only two people in the world.

The song ended and the on-lookers' clapping and cheering soon brought them back to reality as the crowd went back inside and Ben and Lily went back to their table, hearts pounding madly as they tried to catch their breath and gulped down the rest of their drinks.

While Ben went inside to order another beer and lemon, lime and bitters, Senna peeked out again and beckoned Lily to lean closer and the crab whispered into her ear about her plan to which Lily nodded.

'So after you finish your latest round of drinks, you convince him to let you take him to the rock pools. Then, once you're truly in the mood and the atmosphere is as romantic as you can make it, that's the moment to kiss. After all, the water seems to be your strong suit, even if you're only going to dip your feet in..'

Lily had to interrupt the crab when she saw Ben coming back and she mouthed 'hide' to her. Senna wasn't particularly happy about having her latest lecture cut short but she duly jumped back in the bag, hoping that they would soon go to the rock pools so that she could sit on the rocks and feel the fresh air rather than being cramped in small places.

'There was that voice again,' Ben said as he sat down and handed Lily her drink, 'that Pommie voice that I had been hearing, like it's talking to us and telling us what to do. Do you know where it's coming from?'

Lily simply shrugged, while sipping her drink.

'Yeah, I thought so to, my mind has been playing tricks on me again. Still, we've had a good night out, haven't we? We had a good tucker out at Hungry Jacks, some drinks and dancing at Little Havana and what a dancer you turned out to be! For someone who had never danced before and was feeling nervous, you practically stole the show!'

Lily blushed and then stared at the ocean that was once her home, which was bathed in moonlight and the stars that twinkled like diamonds above in the sky. She was looking out to see if Aurora or Sandy were around as she hadn't seen them in days and she was missing them, especially Aurora and they would be wondering if she had kissed Ben yet.

But maybe…tonight they would appear at the rock pools, as they too would be just as eager to help create a romantic atmosphere and see her and Ben kiss. With that in mind, she then tapped Ben on the shoulder and signalled towards the ocean.

'I think it's a bit late for swimming, Lily,' Ben said, but in a joking manner and she gestured again that she wanted to take him somewhere secret, yet special to both of them, near home.

'Oh, you want to go somewhere else?' he then said and Lily nodded, 'Fair dinkum, I think we better get going, I didn't really want a late night, especially with all the drunken louts in town. I only had a couple, so I should be alright to drive provided that we don't run into a booze bus and get pulled over for a breathalyzer test.'

Lily smiled and took Ben's hand as they left the bar and Senna had the biggest grin on her face, knowing that her plan will soon work and that Sharla would be furious beyond belief that Lily had beaten her at her own game.

She would be only half-right, for the sea witch had something else in mind….


	23. Kiss The Girl

Later that night, after convincing Ben to take a walk on the beach and go to the rock pools when they had gotten back home by using many misinterpreted hand signals, Lily smiled serenely as she dipped her feet into the cool water of the pool, bathed in the moonlight that was seeping through the willow trees surrounded the rock pools.

Ben sat next to her, careful not to slip on the rocks, and also dipped his feet in, while the former mermaid leaned against him and he held her close, stroking her hair and breathing in her ocean scent and enjoying the serene and calm atmosphere with the only sounds coming from the waterfall and the fireflies humming in the air and shining their lights on the young couple.

Looking at Lily while she was absorbed in the beautiful place where both of them had spent many happy times in their childhoods, Ben's heart beat crazily in his chest as she was really breathtaking, the moonlight illuminating her beauty and he couldn't believe how much his life had changed for the better ever since he had found her on the beach.

He was now truly in love with Lily, even though he still had the the mystery girl on his mind, the one that he had been unable to find and whose voice was still in his head but he was starting to think that she was nothing more than an illusion, like his father and friends had led him to believe.

After all, he knew absolutely nothing about that girl, other than her voice and he couldn't deny his feelings for Lily anymore and the two had truly formed an inseparable and loving bond in only three days, yet it felt like he and Lily had been together forever.

Senna, watching from behind a rock, smiled at them, knowing that her plan would soon come to action and the mood was already encouraging, as she listened to Ben talking to Lily and telling her about his hobbies and his likes and dislikes with her listening and nodding eagerly and smirking when Ben told her about his old school and the teachers that he disliked and doing rather crude impersonations of them which made her giggle silently.

 _So far, so good,_ Senna thought to herself, _now all Lily has to do is to find the moment to kiss him._

'I'm glad that we came here, Lily,' Ben said, 'especially on a nice, still night like this. It really gives you the feeling that you are in your own little world, that you can forget about all your troubles and just sit there, lost in your own thoughts while dipping your feet in the water.

I already mentioned that Mum and I used to come here and swam in the pools, pretending to be mermaids and hunt for their treasures but did you ever come here, Lily? I'm just curious, since you seem to know the pools so well.'

Lily nodded as she pictured her five-year-old self riding on her father's back in the water, the gentle sounds of music in the air, playing splashing games with her sisters and Bluebell being the main target as she sat on the rocks reading rather than joining in and laughing when Daffodil grabbed Bluebell by the wrists and pulled her in and her father tossing her up in the air and catching her playfully.

Ben was imagining the same as he remembered swimming in the pools with his mother, pretending to be a merman and looking for mermaid treasures and leaving little trinkets for them to collect and sitting on the rocks eating ice-creams and watching the sun set from his mother's lap as they watched the world go by.

He felt the pang of sadness as he did whenever he thought of his mother but being in this beautiful, peaceful place with Lily eased it as they sat in the serene silence, watching the waterfall trickle into the pool and the fireflies flying about still shining their lights on them.

Ben, while Lily was looking at the lights, slyly raised his foot from the water and gently splashed her which surprised the former mermaid but she coyly splashed him back and the two were like naughty children, as they kept splashing each other playfully, getting their clothes wet but they having too much fun to care.

Senna also got splashed which made her frown but she was too much in a good mood to reprimand them as her heart warmed at the two and the budding romantic atmosphere they were creating and the couple then went back to sitting in comfortable silence, watching the lights and the night go by.

* * *

Elsewhere, Aurora and Sandy were bobbing in the water and watching the couple from a short distance, or at least trying to as they were fighting for space to see, since Sandy was blocking Aurora's view with her wings.

'Sandy, move your big feathers, I can't see a thing!' the little fish whined, pushing Sandy's wings, so that she could get a better view.

'What's happening? Have they kissed yet?' Aurora then said.

'Nope, nothing's going on, they're just sitting and staring at the sky,' Sandy said, neatly folding up her wings for Aurora, 'only one more day left and that boy hasn't puckered up once! No kiss, no peck on the cheek, nothing, _nada,_ zip!'

'But if Lily doesn't kiss him tonight, then by tomorrow…she'll be a mermaid again and Sharla will…' Aurora gulped, not wanting to think the worst.

'Don't you worry, Aurora,' Sandy said, ruffling her head which the little fish scowled at, 'they'll get their kiss, the boy's just shy, that's all but it's pretty obvious that he's absolutely, positoovity ga-ga for her!'

'But they need a romantic atmosphere to do that!' Aurora said.

'Ah, you leave that to me,' Sandy said, winking at the little fish, 'if there's one thing that I excel at, is creating a vocal simulation that's so romantic, it'll make the human goddesses of love green with envy!'

'Oh, no,' Aurora moaned to herself.

'Stand back, Aurora, let the expert work her magic!' she then said and Aurora groaned, anticipating the worst as the seagull cleared her throat, which caught Senna's attention as Sandy's caterwauling soon shattered the quiet night air and ruined what little romantic atmosphere there was and the crab screwed up her face and placed her claws on her head.

'Oh, bollocks,' Senna muttered.

'Strewth, someone should really put that animal out of its misery!' Ben chuckled when he heard the awful caterwauling from the seagull, 'it sounds worse than Anna when she auditioned for Belle in our combined school's production of _Beauty and the Beast!'_

Lily gave a small smile and looked over her shoulder to see Aurora and Sandy waving at her and she smiled and waved at them while the latter kept caterwauling and for Senna, it was really too much, although Lily and Ben were finding the whole thing amusing.

'Ruddy heck, I'm surrounded by blooming amateurs who can't sing their way out of a seashell!' Senna said, sighing heavily, as she jumped into the water to find some sea creatures.

'Well, if you want something done properly, you've got to do it yourself and I've got to round up some _proper_ musicians instead of that ghastly seagull!' she said and managed to gather up a group of eager sea creatures who wanted to help.

'First, we've got to create the mood,' Senna said when they emerged to the surface and swam near the rocks. The animals smiled and nodded eagerly and the fireflies fluttered around, their lights shining brighter than ever.

'Percussion?' she then said and a few baby turtles leapt up on the low rocks and settled themselves down while a few fish drummed on their shells which made them giggle.

'That tickles!' one of them said.

'Strings?' Senna asked and some jellyfish curled the ends of their tentacles around some more rocks and more fish came and strummed them softly like a harp.

'Ah, the sweet sound of a jellyfish playing such a lovely melody,' Senna said, sighing happily, 'now, winds,' as she jumped back on the rocks and got closer to Ben.

'Words…now this I can do, far better than that featherbrain who has the singing talents of a strangled octopus.' Senna said, feeling the excitement buzz in her shell and she leaned towards Ben's ear and started to sing,

' _There, you see her, sitting there across the way. She doesn't have a lot to say, but there's something about her…'_

Ben's eyebrow raised at hearing the voice that had been following him around for the last three days..a voice only he could hear and it was in that posh English accent. Was it coincidental that it was there at this very time? That it knew that he and Lily would be here and was it telling him something?

' _And you don't know why, but you're dying to try..you wanna kiss that girl.'_ Senna sang.

'There it is again!' Ben said, 'that nagging voice that has been following me and it seems that I'm the only one who can hear it! Lily, are you sure that you don't know about this, because it seems to be telling me something!'

Lily had noticed Senna singing but simply shook her head and focused her attention on the streaming waterfall and the shining lights that the fireflies were providing and Ben couldn't help but stare at the beautiful girl who had captured his heart without saying a single word.

' _Yes, you want her, look at her, you know you do. It's possible that she wants you too, there is one way to ask her..'_

Ben particularly didn't want to listen to the voice, but he knew that it was right and Lily blushed and smiled at him as he held her hand and fingered the charms on her bracelet which made her tingly inside and he was feeling the same way.

 _'_ _It doesn't take a word, not a single word, so go on and kiss the girl!'_ Senna sang, almost shouting it out loud and climbing down to where the waiting sea creatures and Aurora were, the latter wanting to join in and help her best friend and the crab beckoned to them,

'Sing with me now,'

* * *

Smiling, the animals and Aurora swam to where Lily and Ben were and formed a circle in the water and the fish and Aurora started spraying water like fountains as the animals sang,

 _'_ _Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my, oh my, look at the boy, too shy. He's not gonna kiss the girl. Sha-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad?'_

The English leader added, ' _Too bad he's gonna miss the girl,'_ and Ben sighed heavily. Those voices, as annoying as they were, particular the nagging English one who had been so persistent that he couldn't ignore it, were right.

Sitting in front of him, staring and speaking to him through her beautiful sapphire blue eyes was the girl that he was in love with but didn't have the guts to tell her until now as his courage, as shaky as it was, was slowly starting to build up inside him as the firefly lights and the moon illuminated her even more.

'Lily,' Ben said, 'I was wondering that…it's been on my mind recently but..will you go back home? I mean, you have a family and all but I couldn't bear the thought of you leaving now. In the three days we've known each other, you've become the best friend ever apart from Ruby and my mates and it'll be so dull around here without you.

I can't imagine my life going back to the way it was before you came, being alone in an nearly-empty house with Dad being away a lot and you have definitely brought me the good luck and happiness that my mum said would come to me.

And being here with you in the rock pools in this peaceful and serene atmosphere with the strange voices singing to us…

I can only say that these three days have been the best of my life, Lily,' Ben said, his eyes misty as he said it while Lily smiled at him and he stroked her cheek.

'But if you do decide to stay here at Mermaid Beach with me… and if I asked..would you?' Ben said and the former mermaid nodded. All she needed to make it happen was for him to kiss her and Senna and the animals were giving them encouraging smiles.

The crab was chuffed that her plan was going smoothly and with Lily and Ben looking lovingly at each other, she saw this as the moment that she and Lily had been waiting for,

' _Now's your moment, sitting here in the blue lagoon. Boy, this night's the night; no time will be better._

 _She doesn't say a word and she won't say a word until you kiss the girl.'_

The sea creatures joined in, _'Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared, you got the mood prepared, go on and kiss the girl._

 _Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't stop now, don't try to hide it how you wanna kiss the girl._

 _Sha-la-la-la-la-la, float along and listen to this song, song say 'kiss the girl'. Sha-la-la-la-la-la, music play, do what the music say, you gonna kiss the girl.'_

Heart beating madly in his chest, Ben was feeling the same way as his father did when he was about to propose to his mother in front of thousands of his loyal fans, already delirious about the Broncos winning back-to-back Premiership titles and were about to see their favourite son propose to the glamour model girl.

But he was in front of Lily rather than a huge crowd, if he didn't count Senna, Aurora, the sea creatures and Sandy who were watching eagerly and Ben took a deep breath and reached out and took Lily's hand into his, feeling the soft skin against his clammy palms.

Lily turned around and smiled, her sapphire blue eyes, the colour of the ocean, twinkling in anticipation of the long-awaited kiss from her love, the boy whom she sacrificed her voice and tail for, as Ben swept a lock of her shiny blonde hair, soft to the touch, from her eyes which were focused on him and him alone.

' _Go on and kiss the girl…'_ the sea creatures echoed, leaning forward to get a closer look with Aurora happily flipping her fins in the water and Sandy had the biggest grin on her face as she flew in and peeked through the willow branches.

Ben reached round and gently cupped Lily's head in his hand and let his fingertips brush against her cheek and the former mermaid closed her eyes and leaned forward, getting closer to him, so close that he could almost feel the ocean breeze on her lips.

Never before in his life had he felt like this, not even for the voice that eluded him and he was about to have his first kiss that wasn't from his mother or a friendly peck on the cheek from Mia and Grace.

Senna grinned and rubbed her claws in glee as Lily and Ben got closer, their lips almost touching and she said, perhaps a little too loud and eagerly for her liking,

'GO ON AND…'

 _'_ _Kiss the girl,'_ the animals echoed over and over again and Ben could feel his heart beating wildly in his chest and Lily felt like a thousand butterflies were fluttering in her stomach as their lips brushed against each other, not noticing that two slimy tails were slithering up from the water and wrapping around their ankles while four beady eyes peeped out and chuckled sinisterly.

'Alright, Neale, this is it,' Teale's voice whispered from under the water, 'time for these lovebirds to go for a little midnight dip!'

'Ha, ha, good one, Teale,' Neale whispered while chuckling, 'it's funny, because they're about to go into the water and it's midnight..'

'Shut up, you imbecile!' Teale hissed, 'just pull them in!'

He then signalled to his brother by blinking his eyes twice and their tails wrapped around the young couple's ankles firmly and just when Lily and Ben were about to kiss, they were suddenly pulled quite forcefully into the pool, landing with a huge splash which sent the sea creatures scattering back to the ocean.

'Oh, strewth, they were so close and yet so far,' Sandy said, from the willow branches while Senna smacked a claw to her forehead and muttered several curses under her breath.

'OH, FOR POSIEDON'S SAKE!' she then practically shouted out, 'My best laid plans have gone awry and it was going so well! Who could've have done this?!'

'Awww, that's not fair,' Aurora moaned as they watched the young couple resurface, soaked to the skin with Lily flailing her arms uselessly in an attempt to stay afloat. Noticing that his terrified friend couldn't swim, Ben quickly swam over and held her close.

'It's alright, Lily, I got you,' he said, soothingly as Lily held on to him tightly, his arms firmly wrapped around her.

'I guess we did end up going for a midnight swim, after all, didn't we?' Ben then said, chuckling slightly, 'come on, let's go home before we catch cold,' as both of them hurriedly made their way to the steps that had led them down to the pools.

Ben was certain that it had been an accident since the rocks had been slippery but Lily had a sneaking suspicion that it was anything but and she had a pretty good idea who was behind it.

Under the water, Teale and Neale high-finned each other, pleased with their work as they headed back to their mistress's dark and miserable lair to tell her the good news.

* * *

'Nice work, boys! That was a close one!' Sharla praised from her lair as she watched Lily and Ben climb up the steps while slugging down her disgusting seaweed drink before throwing the mug away, which shattered as it hit the wall and her smile turned into a frown and she slammed her fist against the arm rest of her throne.

'A little too close, I feel… ugggh, that little tramp! I badly underestimated her; I thought that she's nothing more than a delicate and weak little flower but she is better that I expected her to be!

Oh, why did I EVEN give her that extra day? At the rate she's going, she'll be kissing him before the sun sets tomorrow!' Sharla shouted as she rose from her throne, swam to her cupboard and grabbed a range of ingredients.

'Well, not if I have anything to do with it!' she then said, dumping the bottles near the cauldron and then caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. To anyone, she looked like a bogan sea witch with a personality to match, but she thought that she looked beautiful and a wicked smirk appeared on her face.

'Besides, I have the one thing that Lily doesn't…HER VOICE!' Sharla cackled as she held her necklace where Lily's beautiful voice was imprisoned and she turned to her eels as they re-entered the lair, grinning triumphantly.

'You know boys, it's time that I took matters into my own hands,' Sharla said, dumping the ingredients into the cauldron and stirred them together as Teale and Neale chuckled menacingly.

'With Lily's voice and my looks, Daisy's precious little daughter will be MINE and I'll make her writhe! I'll see her wriggle like a worm on a hook!'

Sharla cackled again as the spell took hold and her tail turned into human legs, her teal hair grew longer and turned a light sandy colour and her cackles softened into a young woman's voice…


	24. Carly

While the cool breeze lingered in the still air and most of Mermaid Beach slept in their beds and the town buzzed with the famous nightlife of the Gold Coast, particularly in the night clubs with people partying and keeping the police and paramedics busy with their antics, Ben was back at home, wearing his school leavers' hoodie and his Broncos shorts and sitting in a deck chair near the pool.

He was listening to the song _Her Voice_ on his phone from _The Little Mermaid_ musical that he, Cody and Mia saw on their trip to New York a few years ago and he was staring out into the ocean as the words warbled into his ears,

 _Somewhere, there is a girl who's like a shimmer of the wind upon the water, somewhere there is a girl who's like a glimmer of the sunlight on the sea._

 _Somewhere, there is a girl who's like a swell of endless music, somewhere she is singing and her song is meant for me!_

 _And it's her voice, it's sweet as angels sighing and it's her voice, it's as warm as summer's sky._

 _And that sound; it haunts my dreams! And spins me around, until it seems I'm flying.._

'Her voice,' Ben whispered, as his mystery girl and her voice appeared in his mind again and he found himself thinking about her as the song had got through to his pining heart.

It had driven him crazy that he could still hear her beautiful voice singing to him in yet hadn't been able to find her and he tried to imagine what she had looked like on the day she rescued him but his view had been hazy, considering he had only just regained consciousness but he could see her eyes looking at him lovingly, blue as the ocean..

Just like Lily's were and not for the first time, Ben was feeling very conflicted about his love for Lily and finding his mysterious girl.

'Oh, what do I do now?' Ben said, to no one in particular and sighed heavily as he slumped against his chair.

If only there was someone whom he could talk to but his friends would be in town partying and getting drunk and no doubt would be dusty in the morning or at home asleep in bed, Melinda was still out and his father was on the other side of the ditch, twelve hundred miles and two hours away, even though he was coming home in the morning.

However, he soon found a very sympathetic and furry ear as Ruby walked over to him and jumped on his lap, knowing that he needed some cheering up as she saw the distant and mopey look on his face and he smiled at his beloved companion as he hugged her close and nuzzled against her fur.

'Oh, Ruby,' Ben said, 'I'm a total mess right now. I love Lily with all my heart and I was about to kiss her at the rock pools tonight before we fell into the water and got soaked.

I know that Mum had wanted me to find my true love and I believe I have but I can't stop thinking about that voice, it just keeps haunting me and it's making me so confused!'

Ruby whimpered sympathetically and gently nuzzled against Ben, just as the sound of a car driving into the garage, doors opening and closing and lights being turned on inside could be heard and he turned around to see the welcome sight of Melinda looking at him, smiling.

'Oh, are you still up, Ben?' she said, but in a cheery manner, 'sorry that I was a bit late coming home but you know what it's like when Flick and I get together, chatting long into the night, drinking Baileys and playing card games..

Anyway, how are you, love? Did you and Lily have a nice night together?' Melinda said, sitting down on the chair next to Ben.

'Yes, we did, Melinda, we went out to grab a bite to eat at Hungry Jacks, had a couple of drinks at Little Havana and you've should've seen Lily dance!

She was amazing and stole the show as some people saw us and she took me to the rock pools afterwards, where Mum and I used to go and we were about to kiss when we slipped on the rocks and fell into the water.'

Ben tried to be cheerful and upbeat as he talked, but his voice wavered and Melinda knew instantly that something was bothering him.

He was like a son to her and it made her heart ache to see him look sad and pining for someone he loved, like he was when she met him for the first time, having just lost his mother and was missing her terribly and she could sense that he needed her now.

'Ben,' Melinda said, gently as she put her arm around him, 'is there something wrong? It's great that you and Lily had a wonderful night together but you sounded like your mind was somewhere else.

Were you thinking about her again, your mystery girl, the one who saved you from drowning? It is, isn't it, Ben? It's better that you tell me, you know that you can trust me, love, I've known and taken care of you for thirteen years now.' Melinda said.

'You got me, Melinda,' Ben said, managing a small smile, 'I was thinking about her again. I never told you this, but I read Mum's letters and she said that all she ever wanted for me was to find the girl of my dreams.'

'Ah, she would say something like that, she was always a hopeless romantic,' Melinda said, smiling,

'But if I could say something that may sound strange coming from me, as your father would say it if he was here and not on the other side of the Tasman, far better than any dream girl is one of flesh and blood, one warm and caring.

One who loves you just as much as you love her and who is right in front of you.' Melinda said, pointing towards the window which still had its lights on and a silhouette of Ben's silent beauty.

She gave Ben a small hug as she walked back inside and he looked up at the window to see Lily still up and pacing in her room, yet again brushing her hair with that fork and he couldn't help but smile.

Would she ever learn that forks were for eating with and not for brushing hair?

He chuckled to himself as he picked up his phone again, with Ruby still on his lap and looked at all the pictures that he had taken of them together on their outings around town and Dreamworld and smiled as he saw how happy they looked, clearly enjoying each other's company.

But his smile soon turned into a frown as he stared at his phone, seeing the song he had listened to before appear on the screen and thought about what Melinda had said to him and began questioning what he really believed.

* * *

Maybe Dad and his friends had been right all along and Ben could practically hear them saying 'We told you so' in his head. Maybe she really was nothing more than a dream, a deluded fantasy he had while feeling the effects of being hit by flying debris.

After all, he only fell in love with her because of her voice, the only thing about her that was familiar to him and she was a siren that had captured his heart by luring him in with her beautiful voice and sent him on a wild goose chase around the Gold Coast, looking for her.

'I guess Dad and the guys were right, maybe I did imagine this girl. I believed that she was real until I was blue in the face, but it's obvious that she's nothing more than a siren and that's all she'll ever be!' Ben said, practically spitting out the last sentence.

But if I was to find her, as impossible as it may be, I'll have a girl who I only fell in love with because of her voice and I'll lose Lily, the only girl I ever had genuine feelings for!' he then said, nearly in tears and hugged Ruby close to him.

Lily… The girl who didn't say a single word, but whom he had fallen in love with not because of her beauty but her personality, charm, kindness, her childlike naivety of how the world worked and she shared the pain of losing a beloved parent with him.

She had captured his heart simply by speaking to him with her eyes and was of flesh and blood, like Melinda had said.

She was like an open book and she went through life with her heart on her sleeve, no matter what unpleasant thing stood in front of her, never took a single moment for granted and was happy, cheerful and kind to anyone she met, even if they didn't reciprocate it.

And Ruby, Melinda and Mia adored her, even those complete strangers that had seen them around town did and had thought that they were a couple and she was everything that his mother said that she would be.

Ben looked up to the sky and silently thanked his mother, somehow sensing her joy that he realised that his true love had been with him all along, like she had said as he went back inside to go to bed, certain that nothing would ever come between him and Lily again.

* * *

However, a beautifully eerie and very familiar voice rang around the horizon and Ruby could sense it as her ears perked up and she whined worriedly without knowing why, but she had a feeling that something was wrong.

Ben turned around and heard the beautiful melody, one that he recognised instantly and he couldn't believe it. Her voice…he had found it at last, but he thought that it was too good to be true and convinced himself that he was imagining things.

But the voice was enticing him to come closer and as if he was possessed by some unseen force, he hurriedly walked near the beach, ignoring Ruby's persistent whining and whimpering and gasped in amazement at what he saw.

Down on the beach, a young woman was walking beside the waterline, the familiar and beautiful voice ringing out in the air, clear as a bell and singing out to Ben to come to her and he walked nearer.

It was too dark to see her, as he squinted to get a closer look, but he could make out her long, wavy sandy hair and dark teal dress but not the swirls of light that were coming from the necklace that she wore as she kept singing.

Like a crocodile in the water, they snaked their way through the air and towards Ben as he stared at them, entranced by their hypnotic glow.

Ruby barked and growled loudly at the strange person, which was loud enough to wake the neighbours, in spite of not being able to see due to the darkness and fog, which was unusual since she had always regarded everyone she met, even total strangers as friends but she knew for sure that she DID NOT LIKE this person and she was letting Ben know it.

Only Ben didn't shush her, like he usually did when she was being too loud, in fact he didn't say anything at all as he was too distracted by the woman as the lights seeped into his head.

Unaware of what was happening to him, Ben felt his senses slipping away and the reflection of the golden light shone in his eyes as they slid out of focus and his mind went black.

 _Gotcha,_ the woman thought to herself as she saw the boy now in a helpless trance, _now you will forget all about that little mermaid._

Ruby whined loudly, desperately worried about her beloved companion and ran back to the house, helpless to save him and hoped that somehow, something or _someone_ would bring Ben back.

* * *

The next morning was Lily's last day as a human and it began with all of the Gold Coast and social media buzzing with excitement and some disbelief about the news that Ben Steele, son of their beloved celebrity couple, Phil and Lara, was engaged and it had spread like wildfire.

Soon, there were many tweets on Twitter and many Facebook posts as well as gossip from the streets, bus stops and cafes, which a certain scatter-brained seagull happened to hear while flying around and she could barely contain her excitement as she flew towards Bellagio Lodge, eager to be the first to congratulate her dear friend.

'Lily! Lily, wake up, I've got something to tell you!' Sandy squawked as she flew towards her bedroom window, realising too late that it was closed and she landed face first on the glass in a comical manner.

'Darn windows,' she said, shaking her head, 'you'd think that they would leave them open in a climate like this,' before dusting her feathers off and squawking Lily's name over and over, eager to share her news and was oblivious to the angry shouts of the neighbours.

Inside, the commotion was loud enough to wake Lily and Senna and the former mermaid threw the covers off her bed as she dashed over to the window and let Sandy in as she flew on her bed and Lily looked at her in a confused manner.

'I just heard the news!' Sandy said, taking her hand with her wings and shaking it up and down repeatedly, 'and let me be the first to say, congratulations, sweetie! You did it!'

'What are you squawking about at this time of morning, you idiot?' Senna said, grumpily.

'Like you two already didn't know! Didn't you hear the gossip?' Sandy said, teasingly, ruffling Senna's hair (or rather head, since Senna didn't actually _have_ hair),

'The whole town's tweeting about their local heartthrob getting hitched this afternoon! It's all they've been talking about!'

Instead of the cheers and excited applause that Sandy had expected, Lily and Senna stared at the seagull blankly.

'You silly dingbats, Ben's getting _MARRIED!_ And his blushing bride-to-be is none other than our dear Princess Lily Ariel Clamarius of Aquaria!' Sandy said.

She then hummed the wedding march as she grabbed Lily's bed sheet and put it on her head like a veil and gave her a bouquet of dried flowers that had been on the vanity, while Lily smiled, although she hadn't quite registered the unexpected yet exciting news.

'And doesn't she look radiant on her special day of days!' Sandy said, while astonishment quickly spread across Lily's face and Senna rolled her eyes at the ridiculous sight of Lily in her pyjamas with a sheet on her head.

'I just want to wish you luck, Lily, if there is anyone more deserving of a wedding fit for Aquarian and Australian royalty, it's you,' Sandy said, hugging Lily with her wing before flying out the window,

'I'll catch you later, I wouldn't miss it for the world!' she squawked as she flew away and a huge smile soon appeared on Lily's face, as the news finally started to sink in.

If Ben was planning to marry her, that must have meant that he had fallen in love with her and when they had exchanged rings and vows, then he had to….

Not wanting to waste another minute, Lily quickly threw off the sheet on her hair, hastily brushed her hair using nothing than her fingers and rushed out of the room, still in her pyjamas, with her heart beating crazily and dreaming about running into Ben's arms and holding him close, as they leaned towards each other for their long-awaited kiss…

Her daydream was soon interrupted as she was soon met by Ruby, who was running frantically up the staircase towards her and Lily barely avoided tripping over her before she frowned at seeing the dog in such a state as she was whining like crazy and no amount of petting and hugging from Lily could calm her down.

Something had to be seriously wrong for Ruby to act like this and she growled under her breath as she ran down the stairs and Lily wondered what was going on before the voices from the foyer gave her the explanation she needed.

'Well, this is something that I wasn't expecting to come home to,' Phil's voice echoed around the foyer, not particularly happy and it wasn't just because the Broncos had failed to make the quarter-finals in the Nines and he and the team had to come home early.

He had barely been back in the country, having just got off an early morning flight from Auckland, when he had been bombarded with the news that his son had gotten engaged.

Thinking it was some sort of malicious prank or bad joke, Phil had hurriedly got home only to find that it was indeed true and Lily peered out from the railings and saw Ben, dressed in another of his designer shirts, which was a pale blue and dark blue jeans, with Phil and Melinda and a girl with the looks of a phantom from her past.

'But, I have to admit that you were right all along, Ben, your mystery girl does in fact exist. I'm so sorry that I doubted you and she is _lovely.'_ Phil said, as the girl gave him a sickly sweet smile as Ben pulled her close to him.

'Thank you, Steely, at least I can _talk,_ ' the girl said and Phil and Melinda chuckled slightly. Ruby, however, was barking and growling louder than ever, but it was so frustrating for her to be a dog and not being able to communicate with her humans.

'Ruby, quiet down!' Phil said, but the dog kept barking, 'Ben, make your dog stop barking!' he then said, but Ben stayed where he was and Lily was wishing that she could growl like Ruby did.

'Not like her to make a fuss about nothing,' Melinda said, but the girl was getting fed up with the stupid dog.

'Shut up, you yappy little rat!' she hissed and discreetly kicked Ruby so that no one would see and the dog was sent yelping out of the room, which went unnoticed by Ben as he stood still, not moving a single muscle.

Ducking beneath the railings so that she wouldn't be seen, with Senna appearing by her side, Lily got a closer look at the girl and studied her carefully.

Her hair was a light sandy colour, like Violet's, and it fell down to her waist in soft waves, her eyes were a dark teal colour, which was rather unusual but to anyone, they looked a dark blue and she was wearing a dark teal dress to match her eyes and it hugged her waist perfectly.

'Congratulations, my dear and we are delighted to be adding another member to the Steele family.' Phil said, shaking the girl's hand.

'Oh, please, it's Carly,' the girl said, giggling.

'We wish to be married as soon as possible,' Ben said, firmly, which took his father by surprise.

'Oh, yes, Ben, but marriage isn't something to be taken lightly, you know.' Phil said, 'not to mention that weddings take a lot to time to plan and didn't you say on your birthday that you didn't even want to get married yet, that you wanted to be free, get a job, go to uni and all?'

'This afternoon, Dad,' Ben insisted again, with the firmness that was so out of character for him and he was looking at his father and housekeeper like they were annoying mozzies buzzing around him.

'The wedding yacht departs at sunset,' he said.

'Well, if that's what you want, Ben,' Phil said, sighing heavily, as he was finding the idea completely ludicrous but Ben's mind was made up, or rather _someone_ made it up for him.

With tears streaming from her eyes and her heart breaking into a thousand pieces like shattered glass, Lily, not wanting to hear another word, spun on her heel and ran into her room, collapsed onto her still unmade bed and sobbed her heart out.

Back downstairs, 'Carly' gave a triumphant smirk as she looked up and touched her necklace which glowed sinisterly.

* * *

Several hours later, with the sun starting to set, Lily stood alone at the harbour, watching, with tear-stained cheeks and a very broken heart, the wedding yacht carrying her true love, his soon-to-be bride, his friends and the Steeles' close social circle, pulling away and cruising lazily across the ocean from her..forever.

She then slid down on one of the wooden pillars of the pier and hugged her knees close to her chest, weighed down by the heaviness of her heart and saw the yacht fading into the distance.

She looked down at her feet, knowing that they would soon turn into fins and her legs would become her tail again and that everything she had done had been for nothing.

She wished that she had her mother and sisters with her now as a tear fell from her cheek, slipped through the gaps of the pier and made a ripple in the waters of her ocean home.

Lily could imagine what her sisters would be saying to her now as she heard their garbled voices in her head,

 _You saw this coming, didn't you?_ The cutting remark of Fern in her surly and sour tones, _how could you be so stupid?_

 _You had three whole days to get the boy,_ Bluebell said, _needing four is just greedy._

 _See, I told you that all men were bad news and this is coming from experience!_ Violet said, _you get close to them and they take your heart and break it to pieces!_

 _Oh, Lily, you were smarter than this,_ Marigold's voice said with disappointment about her little sister's actions, _didn't I always tell you to look before you leap?_

 _Now, you've done it,_ Rose said, _you've landed yourself in trouble again and there's no one to bail you out this time._

Senna laid a gentle claw on Lily's ankle but she was too numb to feel it and Aurora bobbed up from the surface and looked sadly at her best friend with tears in her eyes.

Lily then looked at the bracelet on her wrist and ran her fingers through the charms carefully, remembering all the fun times she had with Ben- her Ben, the boy whom she loved with all her heart as they flashed through her mind.

Each memory made her tears fall faster as she buried her face in her knees, sobbing harder than ever for the loss of her true love, unaware of her friends' sympathetic tears.

* * *

Sandy's good mood was even stronger than usual as she flew in the sky, her eyes glowing with an ecstatic bliss while she hummed 'The Wedding March' rather off-key with the wedding yacht cruising under her.

'Ah, the smell of true love in the air,' she said happily, as she sniffed the salty ocean breeze. In just a few minutes, her best friend would be married to her one true love; at least she thought it was until she heard a voice ringing out from the yacht…

' _What a lovely little bride I'll make! My dear, I'll look divine!'_ The voice sang.

'Ah, Lily, you don't have to be so modest,' Sandy said, chuckling but then flinched when she heard the voice laugh in an unnerving way.

Sandy wasn't the world's most intelligent bird, but she knew Lily and her voice well enough to know that something was _not quite right_ as she swooped down to the yacht and her beak dropped in shock at what she saw through the window.

A young girl, about Lily's age or older was twirling around the room in an elegant white wedding dress, spraying huge amounts of perfume which made Sandy gag at the overwhelming smell of violets and sandalwood.

'Hmmm, I don't like the looks of this,' Sandy said, frowning while flicking her wings, like she was reading an imaginary programme for a musical,

'Tonight, the role of Lily will be played by a SINSTER looking woman!' she said.

' _Things are working out according to my ultimate design,'_ the girl continued, as she pinned back her wavy sandy hair and threw one of the pins and tossed it into the mirror. The pin hit the fancy rose carvings on the top like a dart hitting the board.

There was only one sea creature that had such an aim like that and Sandy gulped as the mirror wobbled back and forth, accompanied by a pinging sound from the pin.

' _Soon, I'll have that little mermaid and the ocean will be mine!'_ the girl concluded while climbing on the dressing table in an unladylike manner, breaking several objects and tilted the mirror up to reveal the reflection of Sharla, smiling evilly.

'Sharla!' Sandy squawked in horror as the disguised sea witch cackled, 'I've should've known it was her, that bogan! Well, she's not going to get away with this!'

Flapping frantically, the seagull rambled to herself about doing something as she stared flying to the harbour only to hit the window.

'I gotta be more careful where I fly,' she said, 'I could get hurt or lose my memory. Now, what was I doing again?'

'Oh, yes!' Sandy then said, shaking her head, which made her come to her senses as she made a beeline towards the harbour, squawking, 'Lily!'

* * *

 _Oh, Sharla, you thought that you were SO clever, didn't you? And yet, you were outsmarted by a_ ** _BIRD._** _Had you not decided to sing about your plan out loud, you might have gotten away with it!_

 _Read and review!_

 _BTW, 'dusty' is a word for hungover, in case you didn't get it._


	25. Crashing The Wedding

'Lily!'

Lily was still sitting on the pier awaiting the inevitable when she heard Sandy squawking her name for the second time today and she looked up to see the seagull wide-eyed and very flustered, as she flew down, clearly out of breath as she explained what she had seen,

'Lily, I was flying, duh, of course I was and I saw the watch, I mean, WITCH, dressed in an elegant wedding gown and watching the mirror…'

Lily bent her head down slightly, unsure that Sandy was telling the truth or just spouting well-meaning but total nonsense to make her feel better while Senna just tapped her legs, bemused by the seagull's lack of self-control as Sandy kept rambling on,

'And she was singing with a set of stolen pipes!' she said and Senna raised an eyebrow at her.

'What are you squawking about this time, you featherbrained idiot?' she said.

'DO YOU HEAR WHAT I AM SAYING?!' Sandy squawked louder than ever, grabbing the crab, ' ** _BEN-IS-MARRYING-THE-SEA-WITCH-IN-DISGUISE!'_** and repeatedly slammed Senna against the pier.

'It's Sharla, Lily, with your voice!' Sandy then said, 'she used it to hypnotise Ben to trick him into marrying her and to make him forget all about you!'

Lily's eyes widened as she gasped in shock.

She knew that the girl- _Carly_ \- had been so familiar, with her teal eyes, evil smirk and the way she mistreated Ruby and said that cruel remark about her, like Sharla did when she repeatedly called her a 'pufferfish', like she was overinflated for going to her to become human.

Sharla had hated her mother ever since she banished her from the kingdom, what was to stop her from getting revenge? She had wanted to for years but could never find her mother's weakness..until now.

Senna was a little more sceptical, as she knew very well that the seagull had a very active imagination and tended to see things she wanted to see and she rubbed her claw against her head.

'Sandy, are you absolutely sure about this?' she said, 'or is your imagination running wild again? Did you see what you wanted to see, because if you are, I'm having very strong doubts.'

'Listen, St. Clair, you pompous pommie, have I EVER BEEN WRONG?' Sandy squawked, hurt at not being believed, 'I mean when it matters?' when she received doubting looks,

'Well, for once in my life, I am ACTUALLY RIGHT and my eyes, which you so lovingly call glassy beads, saw Sharla singing with Lily's voice and it made Ben zonked out of his brains!'

'What are we gonna do?' Aurora said, worried for her best friend.

Lily didn't hear Aurora's question as she stood up and stared at the wedding yacht, which was now a distant speck and the fast-sinking sun, with Sharla's words echoing in her mind, rubbing salt in her already gaping wound,

 _Before the sun sets on the fourth day..fourth day..fourth day.._

* * *

Then, the awful truth dawned on Lily. Sharla had never intended for her to meet her deal.

She had preyed on her naivety, gullibility and resentment of her mother after the business in the grotto to trick the little mermaid into signing herself over to her, knowing that she would do everything in her power to prevent her kiss with Ben, like sending Teale and Neale to dunk them into the rock pools last night.

She should've known that Sharla had been up to no good from the beginning. She wasn't her 'poor, unfortunate soul'; she was nothing more than bait, her mother's Achilles heel, the weak link in her chain.

A tool for Sharla to get her long-awaited revenge on Queen Daisy, as the sea witch knew that the queen would do anything to protect her youngest daughter, her weak and delicate little flower, like her namesake.

Lily's nose screwed up in disgust and anger. Sharla was wrong, very wrong about her.

She was not a pufferfish nor was she a weak, delicate and helpless little flower. She was a strong and determined fighter, who would fight against all odds with every bit of strength in her body to keep her from hurting her Ben.

With her inner strength rising and determination in her eyes, she leapt off the pier, diving gracefully into her familiar ocean home but realised that she still couldn't swim as she struggled to stay afloat, kicking and flailing her arms wildly.

Senna anxiously watched Lily and was wishing that she could do something to help her when she suddenly saw a surfboard nearby and its' owner was too busy chatting to a girl to notice that it was being carried away by a little crab, which was impressive considering the board was bigger than her.

'Lily, grab on to that,' Senna said, as she threw the surfboard into the water and Lily clung on to it,

'Aurora, get her to that yacht as fast as your fins can carry you,' she then said and Lily grabbed the leash and put it around Aurora, fastening the Velcro loop.

'I'll do my best!' Aurora said, with the same determination as Lily, as she let the loop hug her small pink body and started swimming with all her strength while Senna and Sandy were left behind at the harbour.

'Well, what do we do now?' Sandy said.

'I'm going to tell the queen, you featherbrain,' Senna said, giving the seagull a 'duh' look, 'she must know about this, she can't be left in the dark any longer, especially since her youngest daughter could soon be in danger!'

'Then what am I supposed to do?' said Sandy.

'Find a way to STALL THAT WEDDING!' Senna said, jumping off the pier and diving into the ocean.

' _Oui, mon capitaine!'_ Sandy said in a mock French accent and saluted the crab but then realised that she wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do.

'Wait, how am I supposed to do that?' she asked, rather stupidly, which made Senna bob up and roll her eyes at the clueless seagull.

'I don't know; call some sea creatures and your fellow obnoxious birds to help you!' Senna said and dived back into the water.

'Hey, take that back…' Sandy said, before pausing mid-sentence. Then, as if a light bulb had briefly gone off in her head before fizzling out, she had an idea.

'Of course, why didn't I think of it before?' she said and flapped her wings while hovering above the ocean and squawked loudly which echoed around the waves,

'Let's go, we've got an emergency here! There's a wedding yacht cruising the ocean with a rogue bride on board and we're gonna turn up uninvited!'

Many sea creatures bobbed up from the surface and heard the calls, along with Sandy's fellow seagulls and birds and they were eager to help as they followed the seagull.

Sandy's eyes gleamed with pride as she received the approval of the sea creatures and birds and led them towards the yacht, like a solider going into battle.

'Alright, Sharla, time to get your just desserts,' she said, 'soon, you'll learn what happens when you decide to mess with my best friend and her true love!'

* * *

Sharla smirked as she smoothed down her dress, which was a simple yet elegant strapless number made of shiny white silk and the bodice showed off quite a lot of her bust, clutched her bouquet and forced a soft, sweet smile as she made her way down the aisle on the yacht, to 'Canon in D' which was playing on the organ as all the eyes of the wedding guests turned towards the bride who would soon become Ben's wife, as they took pictures of her on their phones.

Not that Ben was even aware that he was getting married or that his bride was a devious sea witch in disguise, as he stood still as a statue at the altar, dressed in a tuxedo with a maroon waistcoat and tie, with no emotion on his face and his eyes betraying none of the disgust that he would own up to.

Glancing at the altar, Sharla's smile became a little less forced as she looked at what was soon to be hers as the guests stared and smiled at her, in awe, like those who did at Phil and Lara's wedding twenty years ago.

Daisy's precious little daughter may be nothing more than a weak and silly little pufferfish, but she had to admit, she definitely had good taste in men, it was such a pity he had to be human.

However, Ben's friends were less than thrilled and didn't bother to hide their disgust about the bride and that they were not part of the bridal party, as there was none and their best friend had been turned into a mindless zombie, as their sarcastic comments could be heard from the front row,

'God, look at Ben up there,' Cody muttered and they all murmured in agreement 'here he is, standing there looking like a zombie, about to marry a cashed-up bogan and he doesn't even know or care!'

'Poor Lily, she must be heartbroken,' Mia said, sadly.

'I know, he must be on something if he left Lily like that,' Adam said, 'and what about that chick, Carly? Everything about her just screams 'total bitch!' What does Ben see in her?'

'He doesn't,' Matt said, 'he's totally out-of-it,'

'And this Carly lacks fashion sense,' Anna said, 'not to mention class and sophistication. I mean, look at her boobs popping out of her bodice! Does she have no shame whatsoever?'

'Shut up, she's walking near us,' Grace hissed as Sharla sneered at Ben's friends, when she passed them. She was nearly at the altar when she heard the distinct snarling of Ruby, who was sitting next to Phil, baring her teeth which meant,

'You may have fooled everyone here but you haven't fooled me. You can't keep me quiet any longer.'

'Oh, yes I can,' Sharla hissed and kicked Ruby again, thankful that no one heard her whimpers again.

Finally reaching the altar, she smiled at Ben as he took her hand robotically and turned to face the priest who smiled at them warmly as he cleared his throat, ready to begin the ceremony.

'Dearly beloved,' he began, 'we are here today to celebrate the marriage of Benjamin and Carly..'

* * *

'Don't worry, Lily,' Aurora panted breathlessly as she pulled her best and treasured friend along the waves that the yacht was making as they trailed behind it.

It was fortunate that the surfboard wasn't heavy, so it was relatively easy for Aurora to pull, but a little fish like her was bound to give out sooner or later.

'We're gonna make it, we're almost there,' she gasped, as she tried to combine her strength and speed or rather lack of as her fins were soon starting to give out but she still kept going, determined not to give up.

Lily looked up at the yacht, which was still a distant speck no matter how close they seemed to be getting to it, then back at the little pink fish who was clearly struggling, no matter how hard she was trying.

There was no way that Aurora, who had the strength and speed of a guppy, could get her to the yacht, at least not on her own.

Looking at her charm bracelet and keeping a firm grip on the surfboard, Lily began kicking her legs furiously in an effort to make them go faster.

Her actions made no difference at first but her strength soon shone through and she developed a steady pattern in her kicks as the two began surging through the water.

* * *

The priest droned on, which was testing Sharla's patience and she drummed her fingers in annoyance at his dithering. Why did humans have to take so long to get married?

All they had to do was to say 'I do' and be declared husband and wife; they didn't need to hear this entire boring and meaningless dribble, especially since she had a mermaid and ocean to claim in a few minutes.

'Excuse me,' Sharla said, rudely interrupting the priest, who frowned at her, 'We haven't got all day to listen to your pointless dribble, can we just skip ahead to the vows?'

'Well..' the priest said, faltering while the guests tittered and muttered about the bride's lack of manners and Phil and Melinda rolled their eyes at each other and the whispers of 'bogan' could be heard from Ben's friends.

'Well, if that's what you want,' the priest said. Ben made no acknowledgement of his bride's impatience or of the rushed ceremony. He was like a wax dummy, meant to stand there and be wed without a word.

'Alright then, Ben repeat after me,' the priest said, 'I, Benjamin Phillip Steele,' and nodded to Ben, who replied in a monotone voice,

'I, Benjamin Phillip Steele, take thee Carly to be my lawfully wedded wife..'

As he spoke, Sharla grinned maliciously as she watched the sun sink lower into the horizon. Not much longer now and the ocean would be hers as she looked back at Ben, just as he said,

'..til death do us part,' effectively ending his vows and the priest turned to her and said, 'Carly, repeat after me. I, Carly..'

'I, Carly,' Sharla said, just as the loud and obnoxious sound of a seagull's cry could be heard in the sky, as Sandy and her mob of birds flew towards the yacht, glaring at the rogue bride with disgust and hatred, followed by the sea creatures.

'Take thee, Benjamin Phillip Steele to be my lawfully wedded husband…' Sharla continued.

'Alright, Sharla, the party's over now!' Sandy said and signalled to the birds to swoop down and they dived towards Sharla who looked up and screamed loudly as the rats with wings flew around her with some sending the skirt of her dress flapping in the air as they flew underneath it.

* * *

Shoving Ben to the side and seeing the hateful looks in their eyes, Sharla attempted to get rid of the birds only to be met by angry squids and octopuses who wrapped their tentacles on her head and squirted ink on her face and dress, turning the pure white silk into a dark purple.

The guests gasped in horror while some found the whole thing amusing like they were watching a Disney movie, even recording it on their phones and Ben's friends were watching with barely-restrained excitement.

'Take that, you bogan bitch!' Anna yelled.

'Oh, this will have a million hits on YouTube by midnight!' Cody said, chuckling.

Ruby, happy to see this imposter get what she deserved, barked happily as she tugged on her leash, despite Phil's attempts to control her.

People screamed as more birds dropped angry baby turtles and Sharla backed towards the edge of the ship to get away from them, wiping the ink from her face, as they were nipping at her ankles and feet and the remaining birds showered her with seaweed, kelp and starfishes who attached themselves onto her, muffling her screams of pain.

'Get off me, you slimy little…' Sharla said when she got a starfish off her mouth and almost slipped back into her normal voice while she tore off several starfishes and seaweed before some blue lobsters appeared and pinched her nose, which made her scream loudly.

Then, just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, two seals jumped onto the yacht which startled both the dishevelled bride and the wedding guests.

They then started bouncing Sharla back and forth like she was a volleyball before tossing her into the wedding cake and she then fell backwards into the champagne fountain which drenched her entirely.

The crowd watched the chaos unfolding before their eyes and were so absorbed in it that they didn't notice Lily climbing onto the deck.

Sandy, grinning like a Cheshire cat that her plan was going off without a hitch, the wedding now forgotten and giving way to a comical scene of debauchery, whistled and three dolphins leapt from the ocean and sprayed the bride with water, chirping happily.

Sharla then gasped as Sandy made a beeline towards her, her eyes firmly locked on the shell that was hanging around her neck and she squawked loudly in her face as the seagull tried to grab the cord.

'Why you little…' Sharla said as she grabbed Sandy by the neck and strangled her like Homer Simpson would strangle Bart, protecting what little was left of her plan.

Ruby continued to watch, still barking happily before her leash broke and she charged towards the strange woman who had hypnotised her dear owner and broke his true love's heart.

She then bit Sharla on her bottom, which caused her to scream and let go of Sandy who then grabbed the shell as Sharla landed on the floor with one final scream and the seagull dropped it near Lily, as it shattered, releasing both her voice and Ben from his hypnotic enchantment.

* * *

Ben's eyes briefly flashed gold before they returned to his normal blue colour and he gasped as his body gave a shudder and he felt his senses coming back, his mind finally free of the haze that had clouded it.

Moaning as he stood upright, his eyes were focused on Lily as she felt the beautiful melody of her voice circle her neck, echoing through the yacht as the crowd watched in amazement and disbelief as the voice made its way back to its rightful owner.

Lily, her voice now restored, sang the melody which came out from her clear as a bell and Ben gasped in amazement and shock when he realised where the voice had come from.

'Lily?' Ben said, as Ruby ran towards her, jumping up and down and barking excitedly as if to say, 'It's her, Ben, it's her!'

'Ben!' Lily said, looking at him with the biggest smile on her face.

'You can talk?' Ben then said, while his father and his friends whispered to each other, shocked at what they had seen and heard.

'She can talk?!' they said.

'It was you! You're the one who saved me!' Ben said happily as he ran down the aisle, ignoring the looks from the wedding guests, towards his love.

'It was you the whole time,' Ben then said and his eyes were misty with tears as he gathered her in his arms and held her close, breathing in her familiar ocean scent that he loved so much, 'but why didn't you tell me?'

'Oh, Ben, I wanted to, but I couldn't,' Lily said, leaning against his chest, 'but you have to kiss me now if we are to be together forever,'

'Why?' Ben said before Sharla shouted,

'Ben, get away from her!' and then covered her mouth as her normal voice returned as Lily and Ben leaned towards each other for their long-awaited kiss just as the sun finally disappeared.

'Ben, NOOOO!' Sharla shouted and Lily suddenly gasped in pain and collapsed in his arms.

'Lily, what's wrong?' Ben said with panic and concern in his voice as Lily slid down onto the floor and transformed back into a mermaid, revealing her true form to a shocked Ben and the crowd as her pink tail flicked back and forth.

The sun had set on the fourth day. She had run out of time.

* * *

 _Now comes Sharla's rise to power in a war for the ocean with Mermaid Beach the unwitting host! Who will win? Find out in the next chapter!_

 _Read and review and apologies for the minor swearing (It's rated T for a reason!)_


	26. Battle for the Ocean

No one in the crowd took their eyes off Lily's tail as they stared at it-and her- in total shock and disbelief at what they had just seen if they didn't count the debauchery Sandy and the sea creatures had caused earlier.

'I don't believe it,' some men whispered.

'She's a mermaid!' some girls gasped, 'just like Ariel, only she's blonde!'

'I think my phone just picked up the Disney Channel,' a boy said, having recorded Lily's transformation on said phone.

Still staring at the mermaid, the crowd didn't know what to think. Yes, they had heard stories about mermaids living in the ocean that was near their beautiful, thriving and lively city and their suburb had lived up to its name but few believed them to be true.

Never did they think it was possible that they would be seeing a mermaid right in front of them in twenty-first century Australia, especially one who had traded her tail and voice for legs.

Ben was still watching on, his eyes blinking in disbelief as he realised his suspicions were correct,while his father and friends came behind him, all with the same shocked expression on their faces.

'Lily, you really are a mermaid,' he whispered as she looked at him. She opened her mouth to explain but a menacing cackle soon came from 'Carly' and everyone turned around as she said, triumphantly,

'You're too late! **_YOU'RE TOO LATE!_** That little mermaid is **_MINE!'_**

The early night sky turned an ugly purple colour as lightning crackled through it and thunder boomed, which frightened the crowd as it was not a typical Queensland storm and a swirling teal light surrounded Sharla as she transformed back into her true self.

Everyone gasped in horror and some women even screamed at seeing the beautiful but clearly bogan bride Carly transform into a hideous half-woman, half-shark creature and they darted out of her way as she clawed through the deck towards the frightened mermaid.

Ben knelt down and held her protectively, determined that the creature that had hypnotised him would not hurt his little mermaid.

The boy with the phone kept taking pictures, which irked Sharla as she was getting sick of having those stupid things flashing in her face, like they had done all day and she sneered at the boy as she grabbed his phone and threw it into the ocean.

'My phone!' he wailed as he reached for it uselessly, 'that cost my dad eight hundred bucks!'

Sharla soon shoved Ben out of the way as she grabbed Lily effortlessly with one arm and the girl screamed as she struggled against her but Sharla held her tight and muffled her screams with her hand.

'Lily!' Ben shouted as he quickly got up, 'don't you dare hurt her! She loves me and I love her and if you lay a single fin on her, you'll soon be served with chips and sauce!' he then shouted to Sharla, who simply chuckled at him.

'You wouldn't dare, I'm way more powerful than you and she's MY little mermaid now!' Sharla said in her mockingly sweet tone, 'and what a typical love story this has turned out to be.

Girl meets boy, girl rescues boy from drowning, boy falls in love with girl only to discover that girl is really a mermaid and there will be no happy ending, that's for sure!

So long, lover boy, it was fun while it lasted,' Sharla said, pinching Ben's cheek as he scowled at her and heaved herself on the railing with Lily still struggling against her, her screams muffled by Sharla's hand.

She desperately reached out to Ben, who could only watch helplessly with tears in his eyes as his love was yanked back into the ocean and her bracelet came off her wrist and landed onto the deck.

'Ben, are you okay, mate?' Cody said, as he, his father and his friends comforted him, but he was numb from shock as he picked up Lily's bracelet and held it close to him as tears fell down his face and he didn't bother to wipe them away.

* * *

'Let me go!' Lily shouted when she and Sharla were back in the ocean and the witch was dragging her victim by the wrist to her lair, thinking about her upcoming triumph with Teale and Neale following close behind, preventing any escape.

'Oh, do stop struggling, little princess, it's making you more weak and pathetic than you already are,' Sharla said, frustrated by the mermaid's attempts to fight her, 'and it's not even you I want. You see, I've got bigger fish to fry, a bone to pick…'

'If you don't want me, then let me go!' Lily said again, 'and you were wrong about me, I'm not a weak little pufferfish and I'll never stop fighting you…'

'Sharla, **STOP!** ' a familiar voice rang out through the ocean and Sharla soon froze in her tracks as Queen Daisy stood right in front of her with the most furious look on her face and her glowing sceptre was pointing at the sea witch's selfish and cruel heart.

'Mum!' Lily whispered when she saw her mother and she was shocked at how haggard she looked, hardly the vibrant mermaid everyone knew and loved.

Next to her, Senna stood with the same displeased look, which explained how she knew of her daughter's plight but this time it was to help her, not to get her into trouble.

'Why, Queen Daisy, long time, no see!' Sharla said, regaining her self-assurance and acting as if nothing was wrong, 'and I hope that there are no hard feelings about me trying to overthrow you twenty-seven years ago and you banishing me which, let's be frank, was rather hasty on your part.

But enough about a grudge that has been going on for three decades, how have you been, anyway? How's palace life treating you?'

'Sharla, stop this nonsense right now and let Lily go!' Daisy shouted, clearly in no mood for pleasantries.

'Fat chance, Daisy, she's MINE! We made a deal and contracts never lie,' Sharla said, throwing her head back and laughing, while presenting the scroll to the queen and she gasped in horror at seeing her youngest daughter's hastily scribbled signature at the bottom.

'Lily, why did you do this?' Daisy whispered, the hurt and disappointment evident on her face as Sharla allowed Teale and Neale to take Lily and they firmly wrapped their tails around the mermaid as their prisoner squirmed against their iron-tight grip, her tears blending in with the ocean.

'Mum, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!' Lily cried desperately, 'I didn't know, I wasn't even thinking and Sharla took advantage of that and tricked me…'

Wordlessly, Daisy raised her sceptre and aimed it at the scroll and used all her might to destroy it, but no matter how hard the queen tried, she couldn't make even a single tear in the paper while the sea witch laughed at her vain attempt.

'Aw, too bad, Daisy,' Sharla said, in a sarcastic pitying tone, 'I've should've told you that the contract is unbreakable, even for the queen of the sea, but then again, no one ever reads the fine print.'

The queen lowered her sceptre in despair, having failed to save her precious daughter who looked at her pleadingly and Sharla saw this as her moment to shine as she swam towards Daisy and placed a cruel hand on her shoulder, which made her shiver and scowl at the heartless creature.

'Then again, I've always been a girl who knew a great bargain when she saw one. The youngest and favourite daughter of the benevolent and beloved Queen Daisy is a very valuable asset but she's merely the runner-up prize, the silver coins.

And as such, I'm willing to make an exchange for someone even _better..'_

'What do you mean by that, Sharla?' Daisy said, sceptically.

'I'll let your precious little girl go, Daisy, on one condition,' Sharla said, 'that you give me your soul. That's all I want and Lily will be free. It's an offer too good to refuse, Daisy.'

'You don't care about my soul, Sharla, you only want my crown and kingdom,' Daisy said, firmly, knowing very well what the motive behind Sharla's offer was,

'You've hated me ever since I banished you from Aquaria and you've carried that over for three decades and you used Lily to lure me into your deadly web and I won't have it.'

'Fine, have it your way, then,' Sharla said, 'say goodbye to your precious little girl,' as she snapped her fingers and a teal light emerged from the scroll, surrounding the frightened princess who screamed before she slowly transformed into a polyp, like the many other unfortunate victims in Sharla's garden.

Daisy let out a cry of despair as she saw her daughter transform into the ugly little creature and she desperately reached out to her before being pushed back by Sharla who smiled wickedly at the distraught queen.

* * *

The storm on the surface was worsening as Ben, wearing only his white shirt and black trousers, lowered one of the lifeboats into the water and jumped over the railings into it, ignoring the shocked looks of the crowd as he rowed effortlessly against the choppy surf, determined to rescue his love.

'Ben, where are you going?' Phil called out, concerned for his son's welfare as he didn't want a repeat of the night of his birthday, 'come back, it's too dangerous!'

'I lost Lily once, Dad and I'm not going to lose her again!' Ben shouted over his shoulder while blinking back tears as he rowed away from the yacht.

'I can't lose her, not now, not ever,' Ben then whispered and looked around the ocean, hoping to find Lily before he saw a glowing golden light on the surface. Picking up an oar, Ben took a deep breath and dived into the water.

* * *

'Now, do we have a deal?' Sharla said, grinning maliciously at Daisy, while flashing the scroll at her. The queen sighed heavily, her heart breaking at seeing the pain in her baby's eyes and seeing her as an ugly little polyp.

She hated to give her power, her kingdom and crown to this malicious sea creature but she wouldn't abandon her precious child no matter how much trouble and hurt she had caused her.

Closing her eyes, Daisy raised her sceptre and aimed at the scroll again, replacing Lily's name with her own and Sharla cackled gleefully.

'Ha, it's done then! Finally, after all these years, I get my revenge! 'she said, triumphantly as the teal light abandoned Lily as she transformed back to normal and she watched in horror and disbelief as it swallowed her mother.

'Oh no, oh no!' Lily cried out, reaching out to her mother but she was helpless to save her as Sharla's cruel laugh echoed around the sea.

Senna and Aurora, who had only just swam in to see the terrible sight, gasped in horror as the light died down which revealed an ugly little polyp with the queen's crown and sceptre lying next to it.

'Your Majesty,' Senna said, sadly looking at the creature that was once the queen of Aquaria.

'Mummy,' Lily said as Sharla placed the crown on her head and picked up the sceptre as it glowed.

'At last, it's mine!' she said as her amused smirk turned into a wicked beam as she cackled and looked at the pathetic-looking polyp on the ground, from whom she had taken her power and kingdom.

'I hope that you'll enjoy the garden, dear Daisy, as much as I'll enjoy the PALACE!' she said as Lily started at her, her anger and fury burning in her eyes.

She had once called her mother a monster when she had destroyed her grotto but seeing how much she loved and cared for her by sacrificing her life for her, she realised who the true monster was.

'You..you MONSTER!' Lily screamed and angrily lunged towards the sea witch but Sharla was too quick for her and easily pinned the mermaid against a rock with the sceptre, which was glowing brightly.

'Don't fool with me, you little brat!' Sharla hissed, 'you caused all this with your silly wishes and naivety and you will now pay the price! Contract or not, I will have…Ahhh!'

But what Sharla wasn't aware of was that someone else had a grudge to settle with her as she let out a screech of pain as she felt the crack of an oar against her skull and looked up to see Ben behind her, holding the oar above his head and holding his breath remarkably well for a human as he floated up and down, ready to strike again.

'Why, you little fool,' she hissed at the boy as she aimed the sceptre towards him.

'Ben!' Lily gasped, 'Ben, look out!' as Sharla took a swipe at him, but he dodged it as he swung his oar again only to miss. He was fast running out of breath but he was defiant in fighting the sea witch as she kept aiming at him, missing every time.

'Don't just stand there, go after him!' Sharla ordered to Teale and Neale as Ben was swimming up to the surface and the eels obeyed, with Senna and Aurora following behind to stop them, but the eels were too slippery and got away from them.

Ben had barely made it to the surface and taken a gulp of air before he was forcefully pulled back into the water by Teale and Neale, who wrapped themselves firmly around him and he struggled to break free from them.

'Come on, Aurora!' Senna called when she saw the boy struggling and she pinched Teale on the tail which made him yowl in pain but he still held onto to Ben, as Lily watched in horror as his face started to turn a tinge of blue which she knew wasn't from the water.

Aurora flicked her tailfin against Neale while Sharla, seeing Ben in a vulnerable position, aimed the sceptre towards him and chuckled to Lily, whose eyes widened at seeing the sea witch about to hurt her beloved.

'Say goodbye to your sweetheart,' Sharla said. Panic flooded through Lily's veins and she immediately grabbed Sharla's hair and yanked her head back which made her screech and caused her to jerk the sceptre upwards, which hit Teale and Neale.

The eels yowled before being crumpled to dust and allowed Ben to escape as he swam towards the surface.

'Teale! Neale! My poor babies!' Sharla wailed as the ashes of her beloved pets floated down into her hands, 'my precious little poopies!' There were very few people that she cared for in this world but they had been her pets for years.

Her grief and despair soon turned into vengeful fury as she growled and her eyes became bloodshot as she glared at the mermaid princess as she, Ben and her friends dashed towards the surface.

That little brat would pay for what she had done in the most painful way possible…

* * *

The waves were lashing against Lily and Ben as they swam towards each other with the thunder booming and lighting crackling brightly in the sky, much like the night that they first 'met'.

On land, terrified residents bunkered down in their houses, watching the fierce winds, the loud thunder and bright lighting illuminating their dark rooms, the power having been knocked out by the storm, which not even the weathermen on TV had predicted and they hoped that it would all be over soon.

They had endured cyclones such as Larry, Yasi, Ita and the January 2011 floods but they had never encountered a storm this ferocious and especially not one created by a devious and murderous sea witch and the worst was yet to come…

'Ben!' Lily shouted as he swam to her and she threw her arms around him as he held her close to him, determined not to let her go, 'Ben, listen to me, you have to get away from here! You and everyone in Mermaid Beach are in terrible danger!'

'No, I'm not leaving you, Lily!' Ben shouted back, 'It took me this long to find you and I'm not letting you out of my sight again!' and Lily sighed to herself. She had to pick a boy as stubborn as she was, didn't she?

'But Sharla will…' Lily said but Ben remained defiant.

'Are you okay?' he asked her and she nodded as she clung onto him.

'Don't ever scare me like that again!' he then said, scolding her like she had done something silly like partying all night and getting drunk, not grown fins and started an oceanic war with Mermaid Beach the unwitting host.

'Lily!' a little voice cried out and Lily turned around to see Aurora and Senna bobbing up against the ferocious waves, trying to get to her and Ben, 'Sharla's coming!'

'Are you alright, you two?' Senna's voice called out.

'They can talk?' Ben said in surprise at hearing the fish and crab talk, since he knew that ordinary sea creatures couldn't.

'All sea creatures can if they trust you enough,' Lily said, unfazed by the idea of talking animals.

'So that's where the Pommie voice came from,' Ben said to himself as he saw the crab with a pearl necklace, having finally realised who it was.

A moment later, the ocean bubbled and the Earth shook beneath the raging sea, which could be felt all the way to New Zealand as the giant figure of Sharla rose from the ocean, having grown twenty times her normal size with the combined power of the sceptre and her own magic.

She laughed with a deep and menacing voice as Lily and Ben were raised up into the air on the crown before they dived into the ocean, holding hands tightly and held each other close as they watched the horror unfold before their eyes.

 ** _'_** ** _YOU PITIFUL, INSIGNIFICANT FOOLS!'_** Sharla bellowed as she looked at the couple and flicked her giant tailfin against the water.

'Look out!' Ben cried as he and Lily dived under.

 _'_ _Now I am the ruler of the entire ocean!'_ Sharla thundered, raising the sceptre to the sky and more lightning crackled behind her and the winds picked up speed,

' _The waves obey my every whim and the seas bow down to **MY MIGHTY POWER!** And you two won't live to tell the tale!' _ she then thundered as she used the sceptre to create a raging whirlpool, which raised long dilapidated shipwrecks to the surface and monstrous waves that crashed mercilessly towards the hapless town and quite possibly the entire east coast of Australia.

'Ben!' Lily screamed when a wave separated him from her and sent him tumbling into the fierce waters.

'Lily!' Ben screamed as he felt the roaring of the water in his head as he desperately grabbed onto a rope from a ship and held onto it for dear life as he managed to bob his head up to the surface, feeling the howling winds whipping against his hair.

Lily held onto a rock but the ocean who was once her friend and home was now her deadly enemy and its waters were determined to destroy her as Sharla stared at her prey, ready for the kill.

Sharla blasted the rock, sending a screaming Lily into the deadly whirlpool she had created and the mermaid landed onto the sandy bottom, using her wrists to break her fall and she soon found herself dodging many blasts from the secptre as Sharla looked at her maliciously as she blasted another shot at the hapless little mermaid who faced her with fear in her eyes as she barely avoided being hit.

'Why did I even trust you, Sharla, knowing that you would do everything to prevent me from kissing Ben?' Lily shouted above the howling winds and swirling waters,

'You didn't do it out of kindness, which you don't even have a shred of in your cruel body, you just used me so you could get back at my mother!'

' _And the prodigal daughter gets it at last,'_ Sharla thundered, _'well, it's too late for that now since I will_ _ **DESTROY BOTH YOUR WORLDS AND YOU HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF!'**_ as she prepared for the final blow to end the little mermaid's life and it would take a miracle to save her now.

* * *

Elsewhere, Ben had managed to climb up onto the ship and was stumbling across the half-rotting deck, trying desperately to reach the wheel as the waves ruthlessly thrashed against it and soaked him to the skin.

Several times he slipped, being in the same position on the night of his birthday when he rescued Ruby from the burning yacht and got hit by flying debris and nearly drowned.

But he was a strong, athletic boy and his inner determination, strength and passionate love for his little mermaid shone through as he battled the howling winds and waves that threatened to throw him into the ocean.

Ben managed to reach the wheel and gripped it so hard that his knuckles almost popped out and it took nearly all of his strength to control the ship as the waves pushed it towards the whirlpool where the giant sea witch hovered, pointing the sceptre towards the trapped mermaid and with the fiercest and determined look on his face, Ben edged closer.

 _Please don't miss,_ he thought. This was his only chance and if he missed, he'll lose Lily forever.

* * *

 ** _'_** ** _SO MUCH FOR TRUE LOVE!'_** Sharla cackled manically as she raised the sceptre in the sky, her eyes filled with pure evil and battle fury, ready to deliver the final blow to kill Lily, as the frightened little mermaid looked at her with fear.

Suddenly, the sea witch let out a terrible scream as she felt the sharp javelin-like edge of the ship pierce her stomach as Ben drove it into her and pinned her down like he was doing archery and her body shuddered and convulsed, shaking the ship violently.

Ben held onto the wheel for dear life before jumping from the fast sinking ship and swam far away from it just as Sharla's body turned into teal foam and dissolved into the water, the crown and sceptre sinking to the ocean floor, shrinking back to its original size and its power forgotten.

The whirlpool disappeared as Lily dived back into the ocean, unhurt from her ordeal and the waves slowed down to ripples as the storm ended, the dark clouds giving way to early morning, much to the relief of the residents who had endured a hellish night and were just relieved that it was over and that they came through it unscathed.

The sun's rays were shining as a spluttering and exhausted Ben was washed up by the waves onto the beach and he coughed violently as he crawled along the sand before collapsing in a heap, one word escaping from his lips as everything went black,

'Lily,'

* * *

 _Phew, what an epic battle! Thank goodness Ben was able to defeat Sharla! And those poor residents of Mermaid Beach, that sure was a hellish night for them! Thankfully, it's all over now!_

 _Read and review!_


	27. Two Worlds, One Love

The sceptre and crown floated towards Sharla's lair and all her past spells were unravelled as the polyps in her garden were showered by sparkles from the dissolved foam, which turned them into the merpeople they had been before they became victims to the sea witch's deals and false promises.

Delighted to be free, the merpeople swam back to their homes and families and the sceptre gently landed next to the remaining polyp who turned back into the rightful ruler of the ocean- Queen Daisy of Aquaria and with a small smile, she took back her sceptre and her kingdom.

* * *

Lily felt the familiar and warm rays of the early morning sun on her face as she bobbed up to the surface, the waters now calm after the storm and the waves were lapping lazily against her as she swam towards the beach, hoping that Ben was alright even though she knew he was a very strong swimmer and would've made it back safely.

She was also feeling horribly guilty about her lack of contribution to Sharla's defeat as Ben and her mother had risked and sacrificed their own lives to save her, while she did nothing but be the vulnerable little mermaid.

Yes, she did make Sharla misfire the sceptre and destroy her eels when they had nearly drowned Ben, but it was a mere thing compared to what he had to do to save her from the evil sea witch.

Her mother wasn't supposed to have turned into a polyp to protect her, Mermaid Beach wasn't supposed to have been witness to Sharla's brief rise to power and takeover of the ocean and she wasn't supposed to have been a damsel in distress after vowing to keep fighting Sharla by being trapped in a whirlpool while Ben drove that ship into her.

Lily's eyes filled with tears when she saw Ben lying on the sand unconscious, like he had been when she rescued him, and surrounded by the debris from the ship that the waves were washing up onto the beach and she threw her arms around him, relieved to hear him breathing.

'Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry,' Lily whispered into his ear and brushed his hair out of his eyes, 'I'm sorry that you had to find out that the girl you love with all your heart and had risked your life to save hers by killing the most dangerous creature in the ocean, has fins instead of feet.

I'm sorry that I put your wonderful world in danger and I didn't do enough to help defeat Sharla and that my mum sacrificed herself for me by giving Sharla her sceptre, proving how much she loves me..'

Lily paused at the last sentence as she thought of something. Ben wasn't the only one that deserved an apology.

Her mother had shown how much she loved her youngest daughter by giving up her soul and kingdom so that Lily would be safe and she had caused the queen great worry and anguish over her disappearance.

She needed an overdue apology and an explanation about Lily's decision to run away and become human by taking a dodgy and dangerous deal from the sea witch that led to grave consequences for both the merworld and the human world.

Not to mention her sisters, who would also be worried sick about her and Lily knew she had to do the right thing. She wanted to make things right after doing so many wrongs, and it was inevitable that she had to face the consequences of her actions, sooner or later.

For now, she had to go to her ocean home and tie up loose ends, with the uncertainty of returning to the world and boy that she loved.

Giving Ben a soft kiss and one final hug, Lily quickly dived back into the ocean just as he regained consciousness and he groaned as he sat upright and squinted against the sun as he saw the brief flash of Lily's tail as it disappeared into the waves.

* * *

Having to get used to swimming with her tail again, Lily headed towards the familiar royal blue buildings and the grand palace of Aquaria as many people came out of their homes to see the lost princess return and they smiled at her, in stark contrast to the angry glares they gave her when she had missed the concert, which seemed a long time ago now.

Lily gave them a small smile as she reached the palace and sighed heavily as the guards, shocked and relieved to see the princess alive and well, let her in and she swam down the great hall to the throne room.

She swam past the portraits of Aquaria's kings and queens that hung on the walls, from Aquatia, the very first queen, to her grandmother, Jasmine whom she never met and her mother and she also saw the portrait of her father and she smiled sadly as she gently kissed it.

She then saw that the door to the ballroom was open and when she peeked inside, she saw her sisters sitting in a circle, having held a vigil for their lost sister and were crying softly as they held each other close.

Lily felt guilty for thinking that her sisters, apart from Marigold and Daffodil who were like mothers to her, didn't care about her when it was obvious that they did and had been greatly distressed about her disappearance.

No matter how angry she had been with her family when this whole thing started, she didn't mean to cause them so much worry and anguish.

Before her sisters saw her, Lily quickly swam away just as Marigold looked up and gave a small smile at seeing the flash of her little sister's tail in the hallway.

'She's back,' Marigold whispered as the others swam behind her and also smiled, albeit with tears in their eyes as they left the ballroom and followed their little sister to the throne room.

* * *

Daisy was sitting rather listlessly on her throne, her sceptre hanging limply from her hand and was thinking about what had happened the previous day and from what she had heard from Senna when she had found the crab swimming towards her in an urgent matter, the human boy who Lily loved and had saved her, the kingdom and the ocean from a terrible tyrant.

Her daughter, who reminded her of her beloved Holley and who she had tried so hard to hold on to, was obliviously slipping away from her into another man's arms and she could imagine what Holley would be saying to her if he was still here,

 _You got to let her live her own life, Daze,_ his handsome and lively voice said and Daisy smiled, thinking of her long-forgotten nickname that only he had been allowed to call her,

 _She's not going to be your little girl forever and she truly loves this bloke. It doesn't matter if he's human, Lily deserves to be happy and free with the boy she loves._

'You're right, Holley,' Daisy said, as if sensing that her late husband was in the room with her, just as Lily swam into the room and Daisy looked up as her youngest daughter swam towards her and threw her arms around her as Lily sobbed loudly, her tears blending in with the water and Daisy simply held her tight and gently rubbed her back.

'Oh, Mum,' Lily sobbed, tears falling freely down her face, 'I'm so sorry that I hurt you and caused you all this trouble!

I honestly didn't want anyone to get hurt but I felt so trapped in the ocean and I wanted to be happy and free and be with Ben, but I never imagined that it would lead to Sharla nearly taking over the ocean!

Can you ever forgive me for what I have done?'

'Lily, sweetheart, it's alright, she tricked you,' Daisy said, gently, 'although you did make the rather poor decision to give up your voice and tail for a human boy that you barely know.'

'That's not true, Mum, it's you that doesn't really know him,' Lily said, although she didn't mean to sound rude but Daisy simply stared at her.

Like she had been earlier, Lily was shocked to see her beautiful, youthful and vibrant mother look five years older with her haggard appearance, worry lines on her face and her limp, unwashed hair.

'Ben is really a kind, caring, sweet and funny boy, who is very athletic and loves swimming, surfing, playing with a passamawhatchit and he loves to eat as he has such a bottomless stomach and will eat anything except broccoli, which he calls a 'vile weed.'

He wants to study business at university later this month and he also really loves mermaids, as did his mother and they used to pretend that they were merpeople, since it's one of the precious memories he has of her..'

Daisy didn't say anything when she heard Lily describe the human boy in detail, which was in stark contrast to the 'spineless, savage, ocean-polluting fish-eaters' she had believed them to be and she was especially stunned when Lily said something that she herself could relate to,

'Ben's mother died when he was five and he still misses her after thirteen years since he loved her so much, they were best friends and they lived in their own little world. She was a famous model who everyone in Australia loved just as much as Ben and his father did.

He hardly sees his father for most of the year, as he's a famous and well-loved footy coach and former player and he was never the same after his wife died, just like you were after Daddy's death.' Lily said.

'And I love him, Mum, with all my heart and he loves me too, even when he found out I was a mermaid, he still came after me and defeated Sharla. That proves how much he loves me.

Not all humans are bad, you know, as I kept telling you. I found that out for myself as every human I met was kind and decent and were very friendly to me, especially Ben's housekeeper, Melinda and his friend, Mia.'

'But they didn't know who you were,' Daisy said.

'I know, until the sun set at the wedding and I also know that your opinion of humans may or may not have changed with what I have just told you, but it hasn't changed my love for Ben.' Lily said.

* * *

Daisy sat in silence, slowly trying to take in what she had just heard as she looked at her youngest daughter, her heart tugging at the strings that she was soon going to let go of her.

But like Lily, she wanted to rectify her mistakes and as painful as it was for her, she wanted Lily to be happy and if it meant her living in the human world, so be it.

'Actually, Lily, it's me that should be apologising to you,' Daisy said, 'I know that I have hurt you, especially after what happened in the grotto, but for all your life, I have seen you as my little girl who reminds me of your father and you then grew up in a blink of an eye.

In a way, if anything had happened to you, it would be like losing your father all over again but I now see that you really do love this boy and you need to be free and to live your own life.'

'You mean…' Lily said.

'Yes, Lily, I'm letting you be part of Ben's world, especially since he saved my life and the kingdom,' Daisy said, smiling and Lily let out a squeal of glee as she hugged her mother, 'and I think it's time that we established relations with our land neighbours.

For years, we've escaped their notice and now that they know we exist, it seems that we must pay them due attention.'

'That would be wonderful, Mum,' Lily said, although she knew it would be a while before her mother and the kingdom fully accepted humans and vice versa but this was an encouraging start.

'But there is just one problem,' Daisy then said.

'What is it, Mum?' Lily said, 'that I still have fins?'

'No, it's not that,' Daisy said, as tears started to form in her eyes, 'It's..just how much I'm going to miss you but never forget who you are and your royal heritage as a princess of Aquaria.

Whether you have fins or feet, you are still my daughter and I love you very, very, very much, darling,' she said, hugging Lily tightly.

'I love you too, Mum,' Lily whispered as she hugged her mother, having seen how much she loved her by sacrificing her life for her and Lily then felt a pang of sadness as she was leaving her family, friends and her life in the sea behind.

'But that will mean that I'll never see you or Rose, Marigold, Daffodil, Fern, Bluebell, Violet, Aurora and Senna again.' Lily said, sadly.

'That is true,' Daisy said, 'but I think we can find a way for you and Ben to have the best of both worlds at some stage. But for now, go on, darling, Ben is waiting for you.'

'Thank you, Mum,' she said as she hugged her mother one last time before she made her way towards the surface while Daisy and her remaining daughters, who had just swum into the throne room, watched with sadness as they had missed the chance to say goodbye to their baby sister.

'Aw, she's leaving again,' Bluebell said, 'just as she was coming back to us. Mother, are you sure that you're doing the right thing? Letting Lily live with a human boy she's only known for a few days in a world that you abhor and forbade us from?'

'Yes, I am, Bluebell,' said Daisy, sadly, 'and while it may take some time, I have faith that our worlds will come together and we can co-exist peacefully.'

'How bold of you, Mother,' Rose said.

'And that human boy saved us from Sharla!' said Daffodil, 'he single-handedly skewered her with a ship and turned her into foam! How cool is that? Lily definitely has good taste in men unlike a _certain_ mermaid we know, _'_ while giving Violet a hard stare.

'Hey!' Violet said, punching Daffodil in the arm.

'But now that Lily has left, I'll be the youngest in the family now and we didn't even get to say goodbye to her. I know that we haven't been close but she's our little sister after all and we'll all miss her dearly.' Violet then said, wistfully.

The girls murmured and nodded in agreement. Where once there were seven daughters, there were now to be six.

'But she'll be okay, I know she will, she's a good girl,' Marigold said.

'Even if she does silly things now and again,' Rose said.

'But she has good sense when she needs it the most,' Bluebell said.

'Even if she is a whiny, spoilt brat,' Fern said and her sisters rolled their eyes at her.

'But I just wish that she could come back and visit so we can meet this Ben who is our saviour and a total hunk from what I have heard,' Violet said, sighing dreamily.

'Don't get any ideas, Violet, he's Lily's beau and keep your flirting to yourself and your many loser boyfriends,' said Daffodil and Violet punched her in the arm again, while wincing at a nail she had broken and quickly filed it.

'Are you sure that you want to do this, Mother?' Rose said, putting her hand on Daisy's shoulder, seeing the sadness in the queen's eyes but she managed a small smile as she looked at her eldest daughter.

'Yes, it's what Lily wants and I don't regret my decision,' Daisy said, 'but we're not really saying goodbye to her and we'll soon have a son and brother in our family,' as she used her sceptre and a scale from her tail to create something that resembled a necklace.

The girls looked at her confusedly but followed their mother as she swam to the surface for the first time in eleven years, all of them eager to see Lily and to meet the human boy that had stolen her heart and would soon be the brother they never had.

* * *

While the residents were getting on with their day as normal and putting last night's storm behind them, Ben was sitting on the beach by himself, his shirt and trousers soaked and torn and hanging off his body like rags and his hair was damp and tangled from the water.

He kept looking at the ocean, longing to see his little mermaid again, the one that had brought him good luck and happiness like his mother had said and he hoped with all his heart that she was alive, although there was a great possibility that she would never come back to him.

It was tearing Ben up inside as the familiar feelings of loneliness and heartbreak came back to him as he took Lily's bracelet out of his pocket and held it close as he pulled his knees up to his chest and sobbed quietly, having fallen victim to his heartbreak and hopeless love yet again.

' _What would I give to live where you are?'_ a hauntingly beautiful voice then rang out from the ocean and Ben looked up warily, not wanting a repeat of what happened with Sharla who had tricked him into marrying her by using that beautiful voice.

 _'_ _What would I pay to stay here beside you?'_ the voice sang again as clear and beautiful as the day Ben first heard it.

He then sprang up, with his heart beating madly in his chest and ran towards the ocean as the shape of a very familiar pink tail and long, flowing blonde hair started to emerge from the waves as they carried _her_ towards him.

'Lily!' Ben whispered excitedly and he had the biggest smile on his face as he saw the source of his song as his little mermaid and true love rose up from the ocean, smiling at him and she was truly alive and real.

She was bobbing up and down against the waves from a short distance but Ben didn't care that he would get soaked again as he waded through the water to his love.

 _'_ _What would I do to see you smiling at me?'_ Lily sang again as Ben got closer to her,

 _'Now we can walk, now we can run, now we can stay all day in the sun!_

 _Just you and me and now I can be part of your world,'_

Ben's eyes flooded with tears as he gathered Lily up in his arms, her tail flicking in the air as she put her arms around his neck and the two held each other close as Ben planted soft kisses on Lily's shoulder and forehead and she nuzzled against his neck and shoulder, both of them crying happy tears.

'This is just like my dream,' Lily whispered, remembering the dream she had the night after she rescued Ben, 'I dreamed that we met on the beach after I rescued you from drowning,' which made Ben blush slightly.

Only it was real and she was in the arms of her love, whom she fought hard for, won him and now nothing was going to stop her from being with him..except for the fact that she still had fins.

She had wished that her mother had given her legs when she was still in the ocean but quickly remembered what had happened when she had first transformed into a human while in the water as she struggled to get to the surface before Aurora and Senna helped her up.

'So,' Ben said, after a moment of silence, while still holding Lily like the precious thing that she was, 'you really are my little mermaid, the one who has brought me good luck and happiness, like Mum had said and she'd be so happy to see that she was right.'

'Yes, I guess she was,' Lily said, 'and I'm sorry that I didn't do more to help you defeat Sharla and that she put Mermaid Beach in danger with her terrible storm.'

'Oh, don't blame yourself for that, Lily, there was nothing that you could've done and besides, you did make that sea witch destroy her eels who nearly drowned me and allowed me to escape from them, so I consider that heroic!' Ben said, chuckling and Lily gave a small giggle.

'And we've been through worse storms and cyclones in Queensland than that, although not ones created by devious half-women, half-shark sea witches!' he then said and both of them laughed.

'Still, we live to see another day and I'm glad you're safe, Lily. I love you so much, my angel and I never want to be apart from you again.' Ben said and his eyes were misty with tears as he held his love, his little mermaid close to him.

'I love you too, Ben,' Lily said and they leaned towards each other, foreheads touching as they shared their long-awaited kiss, forgetting about their two different worlds and there was no sea witch to stop them this time.

And their soft, passionate and tender kiss told them that they were meant to be.

* * *

From a short and safe distance from the beach near the shallow waters, Queen Daisy, her remaining daughters, Aurora and Senna watched the young couple kiss and there wasn't a dry eye to be seen as they shed happy and sad tears.

Senna smiled to herself, pleased that all the mishaps she had endured in the four days she was on land so that she could help Lily with her goal, had not been for nothing after all, while Aurora shed a few tears for her best friend.

With her sceptre glowing, Daisy gave a small smile as she dipped it into the water, sending rainbow-coloured ripples across the waves, which found their way towards Lily and encased her in a warm, gentle light, while she was still in Ben's arms.

They soon broke apart from their kiss when Lily gave a small gasp of delight as she felt a tingle in her tail but it was soothing, gentle and warm as opposed to the harsh and suffocating magic of Sharla's potion and Ben stared in amazement as her pink scales gently melted into skin and her tail changed again to human legs.

The light then wrapped around her body, clothing her into a beautiful pink dress, the same shades as Lily's tail, before the light faded and Daisy's sceptre dimmed down to its usual colour.

Lily smiled as she looked at her legs and felt the wet sand on her feet as Ben gently put her down and pulled her close to him, while digging her bracelet out from his pocket and put it on her wrist.

'Now I'm part of your world, Ben, with my voice,' Lily said, as he smiled at her.

'You sure are, Lily,' Ben said just as Queen Daisy and Lily's sisters swam up to the sand, careful to stay in the shallow waters and Ben gasped in amazement at seeing the regal mermaid before him.

'Oh, Ben, this is my mother, Queen Daisy of Aquaria,' Lily said, as the queen smiled and nodded at him and Ben looked at her in surprise, learning more about his little mermaid with each passing second.

'You're…a princess?' he said and Lily nodded as Ben walked towards the queen, while also seeing the six mermaids behind her as they smiled at him while Violet coyly batted her eyelashes at him.

'Violet, cut it out!' Marigold hissed and hit her on the shoulder while the younger mermaid scowled at her older sister but Ben simply chuckled and said to the queen while being slightly intimidated by her,

'Your Majesty, I want you to know that I love your daughter with all my heart and I promise that I will take good care of her. I've loved her ever since I heard her voice singing to me after she rescued me from drowning and her love is all I ever need and I'd gladly give my life for her.

She has brought me good luck and happiness and I will treasure her forever.' Ben said, while Daisy smiled at him, moved by his speech and his genuine and passionate love for her daughter.

'I know you will, Benjamin,' Daisy said, while Ben slightly blushed at hearing her use his full name, 'I can tell that your love for Lily is pure, sincere and true and that is all I ever want from anyone who becomes the consort of a descendant of the queen.

And you don't have to be formal with me, dear boy, you can call me Daisy and I want to thank you for saving my daughter, myself, my kingdom and the ocean from that terrible Sharla with your bravery and all of Aquaria thank you as well.

Lily belongs to your world now, Benjamin, please take good care of her,' Daisy said, as Ben smiled and bowed to her.

'I promise with all my heart,' he said.

He was then introduced to Lily's sisters, who welcomed him with open arms, even Fern who managed to give him a small smile, while Violet flirted with him again, which made Ben chuckle.

'Wow, Lily, Ben is so handsome and cute! You sure picked a good one!' Violet said, fondly, as Lily smiled at her boy-crazy sister, 'it's such a shame he has to be human; otherwise he would've made a great merman!'

* * *

At the mention of the word 'merman', Daisy suddenly remembered the necklace she had made earlier and she signalled to Rose to bring a shimmering gold clam, which the crown princess duly did and the queen opened it to reveal a gold necklace with a gold shell in the middle and two maroon-coloured pearls on either side of it.

'Mum, what is this?' Lily said, as Daisy put it on her.

'This is a special necklace that you can use to transform both you and Ben from human to merpeople and vice versa anytime you wish when you point it at the sunlight or moonlight. You can also use it to summon me or any of your sisters whenever you need us. In a way, you can visit us more often while still living in his world.'

'Oh, Mum, that's wonderful, thank you so much!' Lily said, hugging her mother and sisters while Ben was totally chuffed that he could experience Lily's world and was curious about having fins and being able to breathe and swim freely in the ocean.

Cody would be green with envy if he were to find out!

'Thank you, Your Ma-Daisy,' Ben said, 'It'll be great to see your kingdom and to be able to swim with fins and breathe underwater.'

'It's my pleasure, Benjamin, it's only fair since Lily has legs, you can have fins whenever you like.' Daisy said.

After many final hugs and goodbyes and promises to visit, the royal family of Aquaria dived back into the ocean, leaving the young couple on the beach feeling the waves lap against their feet as they shared another tender and passionate kiss.

And from above the sky in heaven, King Hollis of Aquaria and Lara Burgess-Steele sat with serene smiles and tears in their eyes as they watched their beloved children start a new and wonderful life together.

* * *

 _Aw, what a happy ending! And there is only one more chapter left, which will be an epilogue and I'm so glad that my little mermaid not only gets her happy ending, she has many followers that love her so much!_

 _Read and review! (for the second-to-last time!)_


	28. Epilogue: Best of Both Worlds

_Five months later…_

Lily's story had made headlines around Australia and the world and soon everyone wanted to know more about 'The Real-Life Ariel', as the Australian media called her and merpeople and they wanted to see them, although they had been warned that they were not a tourist attraction and wouldn't appear as often as they would've liked but if they knew that Lily was coming to the shore, they made their appearance which delighted those who saw them.

The Gold Coast residents themselves had taken some time to adjust to the idea which was hardly surprising, considering that their first encounter with merpeople involved a murderous sea witch but after seeing Lily on their local news and hearing about her love for Ben, most of them accepted the existence of merpeople and treated them with respect rather than an attraction at Sea World.

True to Daisy's word, establishing relations with her kingdom and the Gold Coast proved to be challenging as the change for the merpeople from human haters to peaceful neighbours faced many hurdles and uncertainty but the queen had faith and after many negotiations with the mayor and the Premier of Queensland and her subjects and a little time and patience, most of the merpeople came around and now wanted to know more about humans.

They had also missed being on the surface, playing music and watching the sunset at the rock pools, which they had done before the death of the king and wanted to do so again. With Daisy's persuasion and also wanting to meet the human boy who had stolen the youngest princess's heart and had saved them all from the terrible sea witch who had nearly taken over their kingdom, they held a celebration for Lily and Ben at the rock pools.

They enjoyed it greatly without the dangers from the last time they were there and Ben was delighted to meet more merfolk that weren't like Lily and he soon found another mother figure in Daisy, who respected him for his bravery and kindness and knew that he would be the perfect prince for the kingdom once the two married.

Ben also got to know Lily's sisters better and he worked hard to remember their names and they were soon fast friends.

As they had been when they first saw him, the girls loved Ben from the start. Marigold, Daffodil, Rose, Bluebell and Violet were just as eager to know Ben as he was to know them and he especially bonded with Daffodil, since he loved her jokes and funny impersonations and he could see why Lily harboured such strong feelings for her and Marigold, whom he also bonded well with due to their love of sports.

Rose respected him very much for his role in Sharla's defeat, putting his own life on the line for theirs and their kingdom and she and Bluebell were very interested to know about the history and politics of Australia and they listened eagerly as Ben described his country's history and how the national and state governments worked.

In return, Rose and Bluebell told him about the history of Aquaria and its kings and queens which Ben listened to with intense interest as he learned more about his love's ocean world and he wanted to explore it more than ever.

Only Fern took some time to adjust to having the new boy around, as she hadn't been terribly social to begin with and was still a bit wary of humans but Ben wasn't to be deterred and when Lily told him that Fern's favourite music was emo and punk, he made an entire playlist on his phone for Fern, which she loved and she and Ben would stay at the pools for hours, until the sun set, listening to the music in comfortable silence until she grew to love his company.

* * *

Throughout the changes, university lectures when Ben eventually started at Bond and being in the media, Lily and Ben were every inch the devoted, loving and inseperable couple and everyone who saw them out and about in town agreed that Lily was a far better match for Ben than that creature that had called herself Carly and they had no reason to doubt that Ben loved the former mermaid or that she reciprocated his love.

In fact, they even went as far to say that they had better chemistry than his parents did although that was quickly rebuffed by Ben, but he had to admit he was feeling the same way as they did when they were together and everyone clearly thought so when they saw how happy he was with Lily and vice versa.

And by the way she fitted seamlessly into their city, having gained Australian citizenship on the grounds that she had been technically born in Australian waters, albeit with a few quirky habits she hadn't yet managed to shake off (like still brushing her hair with a fork), it was hard to believe that she had once been a mermaid if one was a newcomer to the city unless they were told about it by locals or seen the news stories.

Lily (and Ben's opinion of her) charmed everyone she met and over the months, she had met more new people such as the mayor, the Premier, the Prime Minister when she and Ben went to Canberra for a few days so that she could see the nation's capital and that they could see 'The Real-Life Ariel', the players from the Broncos and Maroons when she went to see their games in Brisbane with Ben and Des and his family.

She had also grown close to Ben's friends, especially Mia, who was now her best human friend (after Aurora) and she even got along with Anna, who had regretted her behaviour towards her and apologised to Lily and the two were now good friends.

Lily enjoyed going shopping, going to the movies, having coffees and a good gossip with the girls whenever they got together, going to the footy games with the boys and seeing Queensland win State of Origin at Suncorp, which had been her very first game she had seen live.

She also played cricket and footy with the boys in the park, even if they didn't quite get the fact that she liked bouncing the ball up and down on the bat, like her game that Sandy showed her but they caught on and no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't beat Lily's record!

Ben had finished his first semester at Bond University and got excellent marks in his exams and got a part-time job at a local bar, working three days a week while still finding time for his surfing, playing rugby for the uni team and to be with Lily and he did teach her how to surf which she found hard at first but she soon got the hang of it and they vowed to go surfing at least once a day in the summer.

Ben said that Lily had lifted him out of the haze he felt he had been surrounded in since his mother died and that she changed him for the better and he couldn't imagine life without her.

She made him laugh, she made him smile, there was never a dull moment with her around, she sang him songs and did everything she could to bring him joy and happiness in his world which had been sad and lonely but she was the sunshine that shone brilliantly on it.

Lily had grown in maturity and became more sure or herself, less uncertain and began standing on her own two feet (literally), as she made her way in the human world.

She was a fast learner and was soon adept at the many skills that humans used in their everyday lives such as catching a bus to get around town, using an iPhone that Ben bought for her to text and communicate with people, going grocery shopping with Melinda and having a bank account and earning money, which Phil set up for her.

She also helped Melinda around the house and learned how to cook as she made dinner almost every night and although her first attempts were less than appetising, she got better each time she practiced, with Melinda's encouragement and endless patience.

Even though Lily was happy with Ben and delighted to be part of his world as she felt that this was where she was meant to be, having gone through so much strife and made many sacrifices to achieve her goal and she didn't want to admit it to Ben but she missed her mother and sisters and her friends back in the ocean, as she knew that it would always be a part of her, no matter where she went.

As much as she loved being with Ben and being human in his world which no amount of homesickness would change, there was that part that stayed with her and always would.

And as she lay next to Ben in his bed one night, her head resting against his chest as his arms were wrapped around her, rubbing her back which didn't soothe her as it usually did, she fingered her necklace that had gone unused for some time and wondered about the day where she and Ben would have the best of both worlds.

* * *

One still night in July, Lily and Ben were at the rock pools, dipping their feet into the cool water, not really thinking about anything as Ben put his arm around Lily, who was playing with the charms on her bracelet and lost in her own thoughts.

Looking at his girlfriend, Ben couldn't believe that five months had passed since he had met Lily for the first time, when she sang to him on the beach and then later appeared on the beach wearing that curtain and was unable to speak.

Until that moment, she and her whole life hadn't even existed to him and the Gold Coast and now merpeople were as common as the tourists that came every year and his own life had been turned upside down but in the best possible way.

He had to keep pinching himself to convince himself that it was all real and that he now had the ability to be a merman whenever he wanted through Lily's necklace and he wondered why she hadn't used it yet.

He loved this girl with all his heart and he would prove it by embracing her world, like she had embraced his, which he would soon do for he had noticed that something was troubling Lily as she then fiddled with her hair and she had a slight frown on her face as she looked at the ocean.

'Lily, what's wrong?' Ben said, pulling her close to him as she looked up and leaned against his shoulder, 'is something bothering you, because you're usually so happy and serene in the rock pools and you're not so something must be on your mind.

You know you can tell me, I love you and all I want is for you to be happy,' he said.

'Oh, Ben, I am happy, you know I am,' Lily said, putting her arms around his waist and giving him a kiss on the cheek, 'I love being in your world and I would never leave you. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

After all, I made a deal with a sea witch in exchange for my soul so I can be with you and I get visits from my family and friends from time to time.

But I never thought that I would miss swimming and breathing freely in the water, eating kelp pasta and seaweed donuts, laughing at Daffodil's bad jokes and impressions, going to the Blue Clam and hearing the Aquaettes and the Shell Hoppers play and sharing a room with all six of my sisters..' Lily said.

'Lily, I never knew,' Ben said, wistfully, 'If I had known that I had unwittingly tore you from your family, I would've..'

'Ben, you didn't,' Lily said, 'this is where I want to be, you know that. No amount of homesickness will make me change my mind. I love you with all my heart and I want to stay with you.

Of course, I would love to visit my home and see Mum and my sisters but I would never leave you ever.'

'You can,' Ben said, fingering Lily's necklace, 'and I want to come with you. I want to know what it's like to have fins and to be able to swim and breathe freely in the ocean. I want to do this, Lily, I want to make you as happy as you have made me.'

'Oh, Ben,' Lily said, her eyes misty as she took off her necklace, 'but are you sure that you want to do this? I'm not sure that it works, although Mum did say I could use it in the moonlight and I don't know what colour your tail may be!'

'I want to, Lily,' Ben said and Lily smiled as she kissed him and pointed the necklace towards the sky, the moonlight shining on it as it released a glowing golden light.

'At least we know it works,' Lily said, as the light surrounded her and she felt her legs transforming into her pink tail.

The light then made its way towards Ben and he watched in amazement as his jeans and legs were replaced by smooth maroon scales and his feet gently morphed into gold fins, like he had in the portrait of him and his mother as merpeople, only now he was a merman for real and he smiled as he ran his hand down his new tail, feeling the scales.

'Wow,' Ben whispered and he flicked his tail just as Lily completed her transformation and jumped into the water, her pink tail sprinkling droplets onto Ben's new fins as he smiled at her.

'You look great, Ben!' Lily said, smiling at his new merman form as he took off his shirt but still stayed sitting on the rocks and dipped his tail in the water which made ripples on the surface.

'Come on in, the water's fine!' Lily said, swimming up to him and floated on her back, splashing him with her tail. While he grinned slyly and splashed her back, amazed that his tail seemed to respond to his movements, Ben was initially hesitant.

He was an excellent swimmer but he now had a maroon tail instead of legs and he wasn't sure if he could swim like a proper merman.

'It's okay, I'll help you,' Lily said as Ben slid cautiously down the rock he had been sitting on like a child experiencing the water for the first time and Lily took his hands and gently coaxed him in, encouraging him to use his tail, which he did.

For Ben, the water felt different to him now that he was a merman. He didn't feel heavy, wet or weighed down. He felt light and had a sudden urge to dip below the water and see how far he could reach the ocean floor as he floated on his back and smiled serenely as he felt the cool water on him.

'Ben, you're a natural!' Lily said as she and Ben swam around the pool and under the waterfall, laughing and giggling as Ben got better and better at swimming with a tail.

They had daft and silly races and Lily rode on Ben's back as he glided gracefully under the waterfall, splashed each other with their tails, floated on their backs with their eyes closed and then held each other close, sharing sweet, deep kisses and nuzzling against each other's shoulders as they floated in the water.

'I bet that Mum and my sisters would love to see us and how well you can swim as a merman, Ben,' Lily said, once they broke apart from their last kiss, 'I hope that they're still up at this time of night, that is, if you want to still see Aquaria.

I can't wait to show you the kingdom as there's so much to see and do and maybe you can introduce the mermen to underwater versions of cricket and footy!'

'Of course, Lily, I can't wait to see your kingdom,' Ben said, 'it'll be a nice surprise for your family to see you and me as a merman which has been the most incredible and amazing experience of my life after pretending to be one when I was little.'

'And now you get to be one for real,' Lily said and the two shared another passionate kiss before swimming out towards the ocean and prepared to dive under the surface.

'Are you ready, Ben?' she then asked, squeezing his hand and he nodded before taking a deep breath and held it in which made Lily burst out laughing.

'Ben, you're a merman now, you don't have to hold your breath!' she said and Ben grinned sheepishly at her.

'Sorry, force of habit,' he said, chuckling as he let his breath out in a quick blast and squeezed her hand back, 'at least I don't have to worry about drowning this time!'

Both of them laughed as they dipped their heads beneath the surface and flicked their tails in the air as they swam down towards Aquaria.

* * *

 _And that concludes the story! Like my previous fanfic, this has been incredibly fun to write from October 2015 to July 2016 and it was amazing that I wrote 100,000+ in only nine months!_

 _Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited and followed my little mermaid from the beginning of her journey to her happy ending, especially to theBritCrit for her helpful and wonderful reviews and everyone else who has kindly left a review!_

 _Let me know who your favourite characters are and if you think Lily and Ben are a good couple and if Lily were to meet Ariel, would they get along? (I think they will!)_

 _Thank you all so much for reading 'Lily the Little Mermaid'_

 _Read and review! (for the last time!) :)_


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